Yuma, Arizona - Employees of the City of Yuma Police Department, Fire Department and Parks & Recreation Department responded to the following calls for service and reports of vandalism and graffiti this week.

Parks and Recreation Department

For the week of Aug. 26 through Sept. 1, City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department:

• Responded and cleaned up 103 incidents of graffiti.
• 64 rounds of 9 hole golf were played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf Courses.
• 475 rounds of 18 hole golf were played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes golf courses. 
• The Putter Inn served 374 meals.
• 18 events were held at the Yuma Civic Center with an attendance of 733 people attending those events.
• A total of 21 games were played at City of Yuma athletic facilities. 
• The Yuma Art Center hosted 1 event with total attendance of 132.
• 82 ramadas, parks and fields were rented for special events.
• 19 programs were offered through the City's recreation program, with 2,114 members of the Yuma community participating in those programs.

Since July 1, 2009:

• 547 incidents of graffiti have been addressed and cleaned up.
• 689 rounds of 9 hole golf have been played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes golf courses.
• 4,492 rounds of 18 hole golf have been played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes golf courses.
• The Putter Inn has served 3,340 meals.
• 271 events have been held at the Yuma Civic Center with an attendance of 17,410.
• A total of 1,195 games were played at City of Yuma athletic facilities.
• The Yuma Art Center hosted 19 events with a total attendance of 2,847.
• 684 ramadas, parks and fields were rented by Yuma area residents.
• 276 programs were offered with 68,280 people attending those programs.
• Vandalism continues to be a problem in our parks and playgrounds.  - the men's restroom at Carver Park's was vandalized on August 19th.  The stainless steel sink was ripped off the wall and destroyed at an estimated cost of $350.00 for materials. During  the Jesus Jam Concert, one of the walkway lights was broken at the Civic Center.  The City's theory is that one of the youth attending the concert was hanging from the pole causing undue stress and breaking the light.  The West Wetlands Park was vandalized again, two large Agave Cacti were kicked in and subsequently had to be removed.  The cost of these destroyed plants is approximately $200.  The cost to repair the light fixture is $450.00.   

There were 103 cases of graffiti cleaned up during the week of Aug. 26 through Sept. 1, 2009.  Parks and Recreation crews are cleaning up an average of 56 cases of graffiti per week for the Fiscal Year starting July 1st.

Vandalism and graffiti clean-up costs the Yuma taxpayers over $200,000 each year.   Please help us reduce vandalism by reporting incidences of crime to 78-Crime and Graffiti to the hot line of 329-2828.  If you witness a crime in progress, call 9-1-1.

Yuma Fire Department

For the week of August 23rd through August 29th, Yuma Fire Department responded to 192 Emergency Calls for Service, which included:

• 8 Commercial Assignments, including - an intentionally set fire at a vacant home, a vehicle fire, and various false alarms
• 12 Motor Vehicle Accidents, including - two accidents involving a YCAT Bus.
• 148 Other Medical Emergencies (serious to minor) -  10 for difficulty breathing, 13 for chest pain, 18 fall victims, 4 unconscious people, 6 seizure cases, 6 diabetic emergency, 5 patients with mental problems, 3 allergic reactions, 3 possible poisoning/overdoses, 1 call for a child locked inside of a vehicle, 2 for a heat related emergency and misc. other illnesses and injuries
• 17 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments for a a fire set by a child outside of a residence, a fire from an electrical malfunction at a residence, a dumpster fire, and various alarms

From January 1, 2009 through August 29, 2009, the Yuma Fire Department has responded to:

• 242 Commercial Assignments, Including -13 fires in businesses, 10 fires in apartments, and various alarms
• 20 Hazardous Material Responses
• 12 Mutual Aid Assignments
• 709 Motor Vehicle Crashes
• 5433 Medical Emergencies (serious to minor), Including - 791 for difficulty breathing, 498 for chest pain, 698 fall victims, 497 unconscious people, 180 seizure cases, 170 diabetic emergencies, 122 possible stroke cases, 99 overdoses, 115 suicidal patients, 47 allergic reactions, 50 calls for a child locked inside of a vehicle, and misc. other illnesses and injuries
• 784 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments, including  - 36 fires in private residences, 60 dumpster fires, 17 grass or brush fires, 15 fires outside of a structure, 45 vehicle fires, and various alarms

Two of our primary causes of residential fires continue to be unattended cooking and children playing with fire.
 
Always stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, or broiling food.  If you must leave the kitchen, for even a short time, turn off the stove. Be mindful of unexpected distractions (phone calls, visitors, etc.) that take your attention away from your cooking.
 
Parents need to be aware of the dangers, keep matches and lighters locked up, and talk about fire safety with their children. There is no reason for children to have matches or lighters in their possession. Curiosity about fire is normal, so it is all that much more important to teach your children fire is a serious thing, and not a toy.

Yuma Police Department

For the week of August 17th through August 23rdth, Yuma Police Department responded to an average of 145 calls for service per day.  During this week YPD:

• Responded to 1,016 calls for service
• Documented 193 police reports
• Responded to 29 non-injury accidents
• Responded to 14 injury accidents

Significant incidents and community events include:

• An adult male robbed the Chevron at 1825 S. 4th Avenue. He assault the clerk and fled the scene. The subject was arrested the following day by YPD and the
  U.S. Marshalls.
• The Drive Safe Location was 4th Avenue and our targeted intersection was 4th Avenue and Catalina Drive.

From January 1st to August 16th, the Yuma Police Department has:

• Responded to 41,803 calls for service
• Documented 9,009 police reports
• Responded to 1,579 noninjury accidents
• Responded to 640 injury accidents
• Responded to 3,362 alarm calls resulting in 14 police reports

Last Fiscal Year (July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009), the Yuma Police Department:

• Received 27,832 9-1-1 calls
• Received 109,450 incoming calls in the Public Safety Communications office
• Issued 4,010 Traffic Citations
• Made 748 Juvenile Arrests
• Made 2,113 Adult Arrests

For More Information

For further information, please contact Greg Hyland, CPM, the City of Yuma's Director of Communications & Public Affairs at (928) 373-5023 or by e-mail or Dave Nash, City of Yuma Public Affairs Coordinator at (928) 373-5015 or by e-mail.

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Media Contacts

Members of the media may contact Director of Communications and Public Affairs Greg Hyland, CPM at (928) 373-5023 or (928) 580-4751, or Public Affairs Coordinator Dave Nash at (928) 373-5015, or (928) 941-0199.

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