West Fargo Police Chief Denis Otterness
WEST FARGO (KFGO) – West Fargo’s Police Department annual report shows crime decreased by over 10 percent, but calls for mental health and assistance were up in the city between 2021 and 2022.
Chief Denis Otterness presented the report at Monday’s City Commission meeting. It covers the department’s accomplishments, vital statistics, and state of the department from the past year.
The department had over 29,000 calls for service in 2022.
Along with a 10.7 percent decrease in overall crime compared to 2021, the report shows that crimes against persons and property crimes decreased by 7 percent. There was a 24 percent increase in mental health and public assist calls for service, a trend that is seen across the nation.
“The continued decrease in crime rates would not be possible without the strong relationships between the community and our police department,” Otterness said. “We are continuing to evolve to meet the changing needs of our residents.”
According to the report, the department implemented several new programs including the addition of the first comfort dog and school resource officer pairing in the state, enhanced cardiac screening program, and a public transparency dashboard.
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