Property crime and violent crime were down for the year through September in Dalton compared to the same period in 2023, according to data recently presented to the city’s Public Safety Commission.
The commission members oversee the city’s police and fire departments.
There were 50 violent crimes through September, down from 52 in the same period in 2023. Violent crime includes homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
There were 534 property crimes, down from 608 in the same period in 2023.
There were no homicides through September, which was unchanged from the same period in 2023; 10 rapes reported through September, down from 15 in the same period in 2023; eight robberies, unchanged from 2023; 47 burglaries, up from 38; 26 motor vehicle thefts, down from 31; and 32 aggravated assaults, up from 29 in the same period in 2023.
There were 132 vehicle crashes in September, up from 123 in the previous month.
In September, Dalton police officers responded to 34 crashes with injuries. Those crashes resulted in 44 people injured with no serious injuries and no fatalities.
Failure to yield played a role in 32 crashes, and following too closely played a role in 25.
Mondays had the most crashes with 23, followed by Wednesdays with 21. Saturdays had the fewest crashes with 14. The period from 4 to 6:59 p.m. had the most crashes with 36.
Walnut Avenue saw the most crashes with 28.
The Dalton Fire Department answered 358 calls in September, according to data presented to the commissioners. Of those, 181 were medical.
Twenty-one calls were for motor vehicle wrecks with injuries, and eight were for motor vehicle wrecks without injuries. One was for a gas leak. Thirty-eight calls were canceled while firefighters were on their way.