Billings PD Releases 2020 Crime Report
It s super easy to complain and moan about crime in Billings and it seems like theft and violent crimes are on the rise. But what do the stats show? Is crime really exploding around the Magic City? If so, what are the police doing about it?
The Billings Police Department released their annual report today (4/9) and since I doubt most of you will read the entire 66 page PDF, let me break down the highlights (lowlights?) for you in this highly condensed article.
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Big picture numbers.
The BPD serves 42 square miles of city with 154 sworn personnel and 31 civilian employees. The total 2020 budget was just over $26.1M. There are an average of 16 officers and commanders on each of the three daily shifts, spread among nine zones in Billings.
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and last updated 2021-03-02 10:48:31-05
BILLINGS â A group of Billings residents surveyed in a Polco study gave the Billings Police Department high marks as far as trustworthiness but generally felt the city has a problem with crime, members of the Billings City Council heard at a Monday work session.
Michelle Kobayashi with Polco presented the survey data that had 503 mail-initiated responses from Billings residents. The survey had a 4 percent margin of error with a response rate of 17 percent from 3,000 people who were mailed an opportunity to participate. The survey was conducted from October to December 2020.
and last updated 2021-02-04 12:39:47-05
BILLINGS - Billings Police Chief Rich St. John said with a few exceptions most of the violent crime in the city has involved people who know each other.
St. John shared that and other insights into the recent rise in violent crime in Billings on Thursday during an interview on Montana This Morning. Watch the full interview in the video below.
Billings Police Chief Rich St. John on Montana This Morning
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February 02, 2021 - 12:58 PM
EAST PEORIA, Ill. - An Illinois police officer fatally shot a 19-year-old man suspected in a domestic violence incident early Tuesday after he stabbed and wounded the officer during a traffic stop, police said.
East Peoria police had responded to a domestic violence call in the central Illinois city, but the suspect left the scene before police officers arrived, said Police Chief Rich Brodrick.
An officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of the suspectâs vehicle and stopped it at a CVS Pharmacy, and the suspect then stabbed the officer, Brodick told reporters at the scene.