Sheriff’s Office calls increase by 75 percent for May

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Metro Unit of Maricopa recently compiled their statistics for the month of May. According to Regional Commander Lt. Scott Elliott, calls are up 75 percent from a year ago in May.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has new black and white cruisers out on city streets and county roads making traffic stops.
Deputies answered 1,207 calls for service in May 2007 compared to 691 calls in May 2006.
A total of 310 traffic stops were made in May, resulting in 224 citations being issued. Included in that number were 16 DUIs.

Accidents, both property damage and injury, totaled 77. Deputies made 63 arrests and answered 136 alarm calls. However, 105 of those calls were false alarms. False alarm calls take time and divert manpower from what may be more serious incidents.
When the Maricopa Police Department with 21 employees goes to a day shift on July 2, the PCSO will still be providing law enforcement services for Maricopa during the other two shifts as well as overlapping shifts to provide opportunities for debriefing.

As the two entities, MPD and PCSO, transition, enforcement – and traffic tickets–should actually increase.