Williston Police Experiencing Huge Spikes in Criminal Activity | Video

Evan Kruegel | 3/6/2013

Detective Cory Collings had his busiest year ever in 2012. "More people, more crime, more problems."

The Police department had huge increases across the board. Officers made 72 percent more felony arrests, 165 percent more shoplifting arrests, and made nearly 500 more misdemeanor arrests than in 2011.

"2011 was very busy, and then it`s like we jumped up one more step and added to just about everything”, said Collings.

To combat the growth, the department added six new officers, including patrolman Ryan Allen.

"We have two officers devoted to 12 hour day shifts devoted primarily to traffic", said Allen.

Allen`s traffic control division issued over 1,000 more citations than in 2011, including 80 additional arrests for driving under the influence.

"We have a lot of new officers that have been thrown into the fire, but they have responded great”, said Collings.

Other numbers that catch the eye include a 137 percent increase in drug investigation hours, a 165 percent increase in aggravated assaults, and a total of three murders, 2011 had zero. As for 2013,

Collings says to expect more of the same. "Different crimes, different times, but for the most part I think it will go up."

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