CEDAR CITY — Last year, calls to the Cedar City Police Department rose by nearly 10%, increasing officers’ workloads and the risk of burnout. This prompted the department to make some changes. But law enforcement “will try to protect the public from the bad guys.”

Cedar City Police Chief Darin Adams told Cedar City News that the department’s call volume has increased exponentially in recent years. All emergency calls in Iron County, including those from law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and Gold Cross Ambulance, are routed through the Cedar Communications Center.

“We are the busiest agency, as you can imagine,” Adams said. “Just because of the sheer number and population and condensed nature of a city.”

In 2023, the department received 36,379 calls, compared to about 33,000 in 2022. Adams estimated that the Iron County Sheriff’s Office received about half the number of service calls. The increase could be related to the city’s growth, among other contributing factors.

“We jumped almost 3,000 calls in one year, and so we see that continue to incline up,” he said. “The officers are overwhelmed, to be quite frank.”

The department is authorized to employ 48 officers, but several have left recently for various reasons, including the workload, Adams said, adding that about 26 to 27 officers are “on the street rotating between those shifts.”

Last year’s service load equated to nearly 700 calls per week, nearly 100 per day or approximately four per hour. Many of these calls required officers to write reports, with 4,523 written – a 5% increase from 2022. This breaks down to nearly 87 reports per week and over 12 per day.

Adams said it became difficult for officers to keep up, as there are typically three to eight people on duty at a time, depending on how busy the department is, who may receive multiple calls within a short period.

“You may have a three-car accident at the South Interchange, which requires three officers to handle, and then a domestic at the same time, which are the most dangerous calls we respond to, so there’s two to three (officers) there,” he said. “So, six officers are now tied up and all of a sudden, there’s a theft at Walmart – somebody just stole something. They’re running out the door. … The officers, I think, got to the point where they felt like there’s no breathing room.”

Officers leaving the department due to the workload was a “wake-up call,” Adams said.

“There’s always reasons why people want to move on, and my philosophy is, as disappointed as I am, I want to wish them the best,” he said. ” Whatever is best for them and their family in the current climate – that’s what I want to support. But I felt like we can make some changes, hopefully, to make it better.”

To this end, the police department began seeking ways to relieve officer’s responsibilities by reducing the number of calls for service they take.

“We’ve always done it because we’ve just tried to be good, community public safety servants,” he said, adding that law enforcement has continuously taken on a larger role in the city.

“If people are in a crisis, no matter what that is, and they don’t know who to call, they always call 911 – always dispatch the police,” Adams said. “Over time, it’s gotten to the point where, well, the police are taking on a lot of social issues that should never have been given to the police.”

The police department has implemented online reporting via the Daily Officer Reporting System, which has been live for about three months. Adams said the department encourages Southern Utahns to use the system when a crime isn’t actively happening or there isn’t evidence or a suspect.

“Just because we are busy with criminal things — just trying to protect the public from the bad guys,” Adams said.

Online reporting may be a good option when a vehicle was burgled the day before, a person wants to submit a crime tip, report an abandoned vehicle or in similar situations. From the website, the report is sent to a computer-aided reporting system as a completed form unless an officer needs to follow up.

In July, 41 reports were submitted through the online system. The department estimates each report would have taken one and a half hours for an officer to complete, costing approximately $42 per report. The online system reportedly saved law enforcement over 61 hours and $1,722 last month and 0ver 200 hours and $5,628 since its inception.

Those using the online system should submit any relevant photos and potential suspect information, Adams said. However, if there is evidence that someone committed the crime, he encourages residents to wait for the police to arrive and recover it.

If there is any confusion about whether a person should call 911 or the police station rather than report online, Adams said they should err on the side of caution and call.

“Anything that is really a public safety threat in any form or fashion, that’s the appropriate time to call. … When in doubt, we encourage them to call in and give us information,” he said. “We can guide them appropriately, or dispatch can.”

Additionally, Adams said that the department would triage calls that were not considered immediate threats to the public. For instance, if officers respond to a three-car crash in one area and a domestic issue in another, a person dealing with a fender bender may need to wait or submit the report online.

Residents also have other options when dealing with nonemergency situations. For instance, those who run out of gas on the side of the road can call a taxi or Uber or call roadside assistance rather than the police. Those conducting custody exchanges they want to be monitored can do so at the parking garage on 100 East, where cameras would capture footage of the event. However, Adams said that officers can still be present if there is a safety risk. People who need to have their VIN numbers checked should go to the Utah Department of Motor Vehicles.

Adams said that the decision to reduce services was a difficult one.

“I’ve been doing this for 27 years,” he said. “I love Cedar City – born and raised here, moved away to New Mexico for a few years and then came back. But this job, to me, is much more than that. … It’s important that we provide services to our community, and so to consider cutting those back – at my very core, that’s very difficult for me to do. I probably waited longer than I should have.”

Still, Cedar City residents can expect Shop with a Cop and other programs to continue, and officers will attend the annual July Jamboree next year, among other community events.

“Those things are important,” Adams said, adding that the department is working toward finding a balance.

Additionally, Adams praised Cedar City’s police force.

“We have a remarkable group of people who are dedicated to their community,” he said. “I mean, I wish people knew them the way I do. They love their community, they serve, they protect. And that’s our commitment to the public – we want to make sure that we do all we can to protect you and keep you safe and to try to prevent issues from creeping into our community that we see in so many other places. And with our limited resources, we are striving to do that each and every day.”

To find the new online reporting system, Southern Utahns can click this link or call 833-437-1143 to access an automated system that will send a link to the system to their phone.

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