According to Bedford police statistics, overall crime rates in town didn't change dramatically last year as compared to 2010, however the amount of police activity spiked in other areas like the number of parking and speeding and traffic tickets issued.

"We're working with fewer officers but we're increasing enforcement as much as we can," said Dickan, who oversees operations at the department including the detective and patrol divisions, information technology, accident investigations and the traffic grant program.

Bedford police responded to over 23,895 calls for service in 2011, up from 20,852 in 2010. As indicated in the charts below, burglaries were down but the number of larcenies almost doubled from last year, possibly a sign of the troubled economy.

Crime Stats

Arrests and other police activity

The increase in vehicular and traffic arrests can be attributed to a boost from license plate reader technology, Dickan said. The number of DWI arrests actually stayed flat but the method of reporting DWI-related charges has changed, resulting in a smaller, truer number; and the uptick in overall enforcement is partly due to the police department going from one to two-man patrols, thus increaseing officer accountability, he added.

"Considering we're working with fewer officers, and enforcement is up, we know the numbers are a result of everyone working so hard," he said.

Their 2012 goals include promoting "don't drink and drive" campaigns, possibly through educational outreach in conjuction with community groups. They've also designated one patrol sergeant to oversee DWI patrols and the department will continue to take advantage of state grant money to conduct DWI details when possible.

Charting accident locations to identify the most dangerous areas is another goal—both the number of reported accidents and the number of documented injuries went up this year.

"Traffic is one of our biggest issues—that number of accidents is unacceptable and the only way we have a chance is through more education and stricter enforcement of traffic violations in accident-prone areas," Dickan said, adding he personally believed the increase in distracted driving to be a major cause of accidents.

Police Chief William Hayes agreed with those goals and added his own: to continue to focus on providing quality service to the community in spite of significant personnel shortages and a limited budget.

Working within the constraints of today's economy has been a challenge for the department, which logged $326,468 in overtime costs last year. Hayes said that was a direct result of reducing staff over the last three years.

"Every position that has been eliminated has increased our overtime because our remaining employees must work more hours to make up for the reduced staff. Our budget had not been adjusted accordingly to account for the increased hours that our employees must work in order to sustain 24-hour operations, but it has been corrected in the 2012 budget to more accurately reflect our actual anticipated overtime costs," he said.

The addition of a new police officer position in 2012 will bring the force up to 39 positions, but down from the 45 officers on staff in 2008.

* After factoring changes in reporting methods, these numbers are similar from year-to-year according to police.