At the recent Monmouth City Council meeting, Monmouth Fire Chief Casey Rexroat presented a year end report for 2023, which the department responded to 1,783 calls of service with 1,238 of those related to rescue and emergency medical service calls. Monmouth Police Chief Joe Switzer also presented his departments year end report, where an increase in calls of service was seen, explains Communications Director Ken Helms:
“The police department has seen a few percentage increase in arrests in 2023, compared to 2022. It was a 7.7 percent increase. They also had an 11 percent in call volume in 2023, compared to 2022. Dispatch had a 14.4 percent increase in call volume last year too. Not really any clear correlation or causation in this. Citations that were issued were down 19 percent, which does correspond directly to a 20 percent decrease in grant hours that were worked from the state of Illinois.”
Additionally, Council swore-in 1st Ward Alderman Jay Grant.