As 2023 wrapped up the Parsons Police Department set new records. Most notable was the increase in arrests made. In 2023, 1,233 arrests were made. This was a ten year high, with 806 arrests made in 2022. This was a 35% increase in arrests.
The Parsons Lock-up processed nearly 600 bookings which totaled over 1,800 person days of incarceration. The lock-up usually holds prisoners long enough to prepare them for transfer to the Labette County Jail.
Drivers received good news with safer streets in Parsons. The number of crashes dropped to a ten-year low of 127 wrecks. This was an 8% reduction over the 2022 total of 138 crashes.
Officers and dispatchers alike were busy in 2023. Dispatchers answered 33,934 incoming phone calls and handled 2,658 emergency 9-1-1 calls (roughly a 26% increase). Officers were dispatched to 29,495 incidents ranging from the benign to the deadly. This was nearly an 8% increase just since 2022.
Animals continue to be a constant challenge. In 2023, 1,55 animal calls were handled and resulted in 537 animal impounds, the investigation of 26 animal bites and 94 Feral animals being trapped.
The power of the internet continues to amaze us. Our police website averages nearly 12,000 unique visitors every month. In less than -years our Facebook page acquired over 5,000 followers, and our NextDoor.com app (the electronic version of Neighborhood Watch), has participation by 20% of all Parsons' households.
Outreach continues to be important to provide transparency to the Parsons community. Consequently, the agency issued 79 press releases, conducted 28 radio and TV interviews, posted 44 podcasts on the PD website, and conducted 36 community presentations.
