The arrival of summer brings a new set of public safety challenges for police officers, ranging from increased juvenile complaints to heavier traffic on city and county roads.
Cadiz Police Chief Tyler Thomas said one of the most common summertime issues involves juveniles staying out later once school is out. He said officers typically see an increase in complaints involving kids roaming neighborhoods and city streets during late-night hours.
Despite those concerns, Thomas said Cadiz continues to maintain relatively low crime numbers compared to many communities.
He said the police department handled nearly 600 calls for service during the months of March and April, but only investigated a small number of serious criminal cases. Many of the calls involved alarm activations, welfare checks, traffic accidents, and business security checks rather than violent crimes.
As summer tourism and travel increase around the lakes area, Thomas said traffic safety remains one of the department’s biggest priorities. He urged motorists to pay close attention while traveling rural roads, especially as farm equipment becomes more common during planting and harvest seasons.
He added that most crashes handled by the department are relatively minor “fender-bender” type accidents in parking lots and busy traffic areas around town, often caused by drivers not paying attention.
The chief said two new officers are expected to complete academy training in June, which should bring the department back to full staffing and help ease scheduling pressures during the busy summer season.
