City of Yuma Parks & Recreation, Fire, Police Calls for Service & Incidents
Date:
09/11/2009 (Last updated: 09/14/2009)Summary:
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.Contact:
Yuma Police Department
For the week of August 24th through August 30th, Yuma Police Department responded to an average of 145 calls for service per day. During this week YPD:
- Responded to 1,045 calls for service
- Documented 216 police reports
- Responded to 40 non-injury accidents
- Responded to 12 injury accidents
Significant incidents and community events include
- On August 29th, an adult male attempted to rob the Circle K at 2398 S. Avenue B. He was unsuccessful and fled the scene.
- Also on August 29th, two males entered the National Bank at 2415 S. Avenue A. One suspect handed the teller a note stating he was armed and demanded money. They took an undisclosed amount of money and fled on foot from the Bank.
The Drive Safe Location was Avenue B and 24th Street, and our targeted intersection was Avenue B and 24th Street. As of August 24th, Operation Drive Safe has resulted in 2,133 citations being issued.
From January 1st to August 30th, the Yuma Police Department has:
- Responded to 42,848 calls for service
- Documented 9,225 police reports
- Responded to 1,629 noninjury accidents
- Responded to 652 injury accidents
- Responded to 3,465 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 and 2,113 Adult Arrests
Driving on roadways under construction can be confusing and time consuming due to restricted driving lanes, speed limits, and turning restrictions. When driving in a construction zone, be sure to observe all posted traffic control devices. Plan ahead if a construction zone is in your daily driving route. Leave earlier and prepare for detours from your normal driving route, or take a completely different route to avoid the construction zone. Driving restrictions in construction zones are in place for the safety of workers, pedestrians and drivers.
Remember to follow all lane, speed and turning restrictions, as they are enforceable traffic violations. And always remember to Drive Safe!
Parks and Recreation Department
For the week of September 2 through September 8, City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department:
- Responded to and cleaned up 56 incidents of graffiti
- 72 rounds of 9 hole golf were played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf Courses
- 545 rounds of 18 hole golf were played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf Courses
- The Putter Inn served 446 meals
- 22 events were held at the Yuma Civic Center with an attendance of 1,085 people attending those events
- A total of 45 games were played at City of Yuma athletic facilities
- The Yuma Art Center hosted 2 events with total attendance of 117
- 70 ramadas, parks and fields were rented for special events
- 22 programs were offered through the City's recreation program, with 2,689 members of the Yuma community participating in those programs
Since July 1, 2009
- 603 incidents of graffiti have been addressed and cleaned up
- 761 rounds of 9 hole golf have been played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf Courses
- 5,037 rounds of 18 hole golf have been played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf Courses
- The Putter Inn has served 3,786 meals
- 293 events have been held at the Yuma Civic Center with an attendance of 18,495
- A total of 1,24 games were played at City of Yuma athletic facilities
- The Yuma Art Center hosted 21 events with a total attendance of 2,964
- 754 ramadas, parks and fields were rented by Yuma area residents
- 298 programs were offered with 70,969 people attending those programs
Vandalism continues to be a problem in our parks and playgrounds. On September 5th, Yuma Police responded to young adults breaking beer bottles at the West Wetlands Park for which one person was arrested. The bottles were broken inside and around the Stewart Vincent Wolfe Playground. It took four hours for the parks employees to clean the playground area. The cost to taxpayers for this cleanup was estimated to be around $315.00. The chain link fence at the north side of the entrance to the Yuma Cemetery was damaged by a vehicle crashing into it causing approximately $250.00 in damage.
There were 56 cases of graffiti cleaned up during the week of September 2 through September 8, 2009. Graffiti at Carver Park's handball courts, storage building, and restrooms cost approximately $500 for the cleanup and at Kennedy Skate Park; the graffiti cleanup cost $100. Parks and Recreation crews are cleaning up an average of 60 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 30th through September 5th, Yuma Fire Department responded to 186 Emergency Calls for Service, which included:
- 8 Commercial Assignments, including - a natural gas line that was hit with a backhoe, and various false alarms
- 1 Hazardous Materials Assignment for a strong smell of chemicals inside of a business
- 13 Motor Vehicle Accidents, with 25 total patients, with one involving a building
- 138 Other Medical Emergencies (serious to minor) - 4 for difficulty breathing, 7 for chest pain, 18 fall victims, 6 unconscious people, 2 seizure cases, 3 diabetic emergencies, 11 patients with mental problems, 1 possible stroke victim, 3 possible poisoning/overdoses, 3 calls for a child locked inside of a vehicle, 1 heat related emergency, 1 person with their hand stuck in a hide a bed, and misc. other illnesses and injuries
- 17 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments for a small brush fire, 9 response to power poles on fire or wires down during a passing storm, 1 transformer fire with wires down not related to the passing storm, a fire in a postal box, fuel leaking from a vehicle involved in a crash, a cat stuck in a storm drain, and various alarms
From January 1st to September 5th, the Yuma Fire Department has responded to 7,534 emergency calls for service, which include:
- 250 Commercial Assignments, Including -13 fires in businesses, 10 fires in apartments, and various alarms
- 21 Hazardous Material Responses
- 12 Mutual Aid Assignments
- 722 Motor Vehicle Crashes
- 5,719 Medical Emergencies (serious to minor), Including - 805 for difficulty breathing, 518 for chest pain, 734 fall victims, 507 unconscious people, 188 seizure cases, 179 diabetic emergencies, 123 possible stroke cases, 105 poisoning/overdoses, 121 patients with mental problems, 50 allergic reactions, 54 calls for a child locked inside of a vehicle, and miscellaneous other illnesses and injuries
- 801 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments, including - 40 fires in private residences, 63 dumpster fires, 17 grass or brush fires, 17 fires outside of a structure, 47 vehicle fires, and various alarms
Last week the Yuma Fire Department responded to a call for a person that drank from a bottle of household product. Many emergency medical responses have involved exposures to household products or chemicals. Common household cleaners like bleach, ammonia, or detergents can be dangerous and must be used cautiously. Some, especially when mixed, can release toxic vapors and accidental ingestion (usually by small children) can cause serious injury.
Here are some suggestions from the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center:
- Lock up poisonous products and medicines out of reach and out of sight
- Put products back immediately after use
- Keep products in original containers
- Use child-resistant caps, but remember- NOTHING IS CHILD PROOF!
- Read labels and follow directions carefully
- Do not mix household cleaning products together
- In a medical emergency call 9-1-1 and have the product container or medicine bottle available. If you have questions, you can call the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center at 1-800-222-1222 and a poison expert will answer your call.
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.
