Dalton police report crime was down but crashes were up in June

Published 11:15 am Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Crime was below its five-year average in Dalton through the end of June, according to data presented to the city’s Public Safety Commission on Tuesday. But the number of vehicle crashes was up compared to the five-year average.

The commission oversees the city’s police and fire departments.

There were 454 Part 1 crimes such as homicide, motor vehicle theft and burglary through June, compared to the five-year average of 487.

There were 2,342 Part 2 crimes like fraud, vandalism, drug possession and drug sales, down from the five-year average of 2,702.

There were 34 violent crimes through the end of June, under the five-year average of 45. Violent crime includes homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

There were 420 property crimes, up from the five-year average of 442.

There were zero homicides through the end of June, which was down from one through June in 2022; 12 rapes reported, up from seven; five robberies, down from 10; 21 burglaries, down from 40; 24 motor vehicle thefts, down from 33; and 17 aggravated assaults, down from 30.

Forgery/counterfeiting rose to 40 from 38; liquor violations fell to 31 from 45; and public drunkenness fell to 38 from 50.

There were 713 motor vehicle crashes through the end of June, compared to a five-year average of 669 and to 693 for the same period in 2022.

For June, there were 137 crashes, up from 108 crashes in May, 113 crashes in April and 134 in March.

Dalton police officers responded to 25 crashes with injuries in June, down from 28 crashes with injuries in May.

Those June crashes resulted in 39 people injured, up from 36 people injured in May, 27 people injured in April and 34 people injured in March. There were no serious injuries or fatalities in those June crashes.

Distracted driving played a role in 22 crashes. Failure to yield and following too closely played a role in 20 crashes each.

Wednesdays had the most crashes, with 31, while Sundays had the fewest crashes, with eight.

Walnut Avenue had the most crashes, with 26. Tibbs Road and Thornton Avenue were tied for second, with nine crashes each.

The Dalton Fire Department answered 314 calls in June, according to data provided to the commission. Of those, 205 were medical calls. Eighteen calls were for motor vehicle wrecks with injuries, and eight were for motor vehicle wrecks with no injuries. Sixteen calls were canceled while firefighters were on their way.