LOGAN – Residents of Logan were safer in 2022, according to Mayor Holly Daines, thanks to the dedicated efforts of members of the city’s police, fire and emergency medical services departments.
During her annual State of City address to city council members on Jan. 3, Daines cited the city’s public safety employees for doing “an outstanding job for our citizens.”
“Three years ago, our Fire and EMS services were challenged to respond to the volume of calls generated outside Logan City, where we’d historically served,” she said, explaining the rationale behind the relatively-recent planned separation of those services.
In 2022, the number of calls for Fire and EMS services in the Logan area (which includes North Logan, Providence and River Heights) increased by 10 percent, equaling the number of calls countywide prior to the separation.
But Daines said those calls are being handled with current staffing levels because the area now served by the city’s Fire and EMS departments is more concentrated.
“That was clearly a good decision, given our growth,” she added.
The mayor also cited the construction of a new central fire station, now underway on the north side of 200 East Street, as another wise decision to position the Fire and EMS departments to continue their outstanding service to residents for years to come.
Daines also praised the Logan City Police Department for making strides in beneficial training during 2022.
The LCPD has been a leader in adopting the Active Bystander for Law Enforcement (ABLE) program, not just for its own officers and also training law enforcement statewide.
Daines said that program teaches officers to be proactive in de-escalating tense situations by tapping out fellow officers and saying “let me handle this,” giving tempers a chance to cool down.
During 2022, the police department also certified or re-certified 19 officers for its Crisis Intervention Team. That training provides skills to assist individuals who are experiencing psychological episodes.
In the LCPD Patrol Division, leaders concentrated in the past year on Advanced Roadside Impairment Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) training for their younger officers.
That program gives patrol officers tools to identify impaired drivers and get them off the roads in order to protect other citizens.
In 2022, the LCPD increased its DUI arrests by 20 percent, the mayor said.
In the past year, Logan police participating in the Cache-Rich Drug Task Force also investigated 475 cases, seizing more than 85 pounds of marijuana, 3.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 5 pounds of hallucinogenic mushrooms and 137 illegal firearms.
Daines said city detectives also investigated numerous vehicle thefts and residential burglaries, many of which were committed by juveniles. Thanks to good investigative work, she added, they were able to solve most of those cases and, in some instances, recover stolen property.
She also praised the LCPD Dispatch Team for their work in coordinating all calls for public safety personnel countywide “with calm professionalism.”
Finally, Daines thanked the LCPD leaders and members of the city council for their efforts to review all use of force incidents on a monthly basis to ensure they were appropriate.
“Together,” she said, “we will continue to work hard for the citizens we serve.”