(The Center Square) — Reported call numbers from the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office show 9,017 calls for assistance and 11,781 unit-initiated actions from Oct. 1 to March 1 as reported crime shows a decline over the past year. 

As reported crime continues to drop for the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office compared to February last year, the office is receiving calls by the thousands, according to reported data. A call frequency breakdown shows over 9,000 calls for service or assistance. 

The office received five major crime calls and one mass casualty call within the last six months. Calls for crimes against persons were greater in volume at 905. 

According to reported crime data, rape offenses were up since this time last year, but many other offenses, including robbery, simple assault, burglary, and theft show a decrease.

There were no reported robbery cases as of February. Simple assault dropped from 60 to 49 compared to February of last year. Violent crime did trend upwards by 4% due to the increase in rape cases with 10 reported cases this year as of February. Aggravated assault cases on reported crime data show a 109% increase in cases since last year. 

The office received 1,227 property crime calls from Oct. 1 to March 1, however, reported crime shows a decrease in property crime cases by 44% compared to February of last year. There were 37 cases reported as of February and 66 the same time last year. Property crime includes burglary, purse snatching, shoplifting, theft, theft from auto, auto access theft and auto theft. 

Unit initiated actions sit at the highest call volume. Reported data shows there were 11,781 unit initiated actions from Oct 1 to March 1. These are calls from officers when they witness a crime, such as someone breaking into a car. 

Apart from crime and assistance calls, the office received 240 weather-related calls and 11,225 traffic-related calls. 

The reported call volume for Bossier Sheriff’s Office reports for Bossier Parish and does not include reported crime within the city limits of Bossier City, Benton, Haughton and Plain Dealing. 

Emilee Ruth Calametti serves as staff reporter for The Center Square covering the Northwestern Louisiana region. She holds her M.A. in English from Georgia State University and soon, an additional M.A. in Journalism from New York University. Emilee has bylines in DIG Magazine, Houstonia Magazine, Bookstr, inRegister, The Click News, and the Virginia Woolf Miscellany. She is a Louisiana native with over seven years of journalism experience.