DEWITT TWP., Mich. — DeWitt Township Police Sgt. Andrew Wiswasser works the night shift patrolling the border between DeWitt Township and Lansing looking for "criminal activity that's associated with narcotics or weapons."
"We're seeing more and more guns, and I really don't know how to explain that," DeWitt Township Police Chief Matt Merony said.
"Speeding can definitely be associated with it, but there are other things that are associated with it as well," Wiswasser said. "Such as instant pulling into places that are closed at night like we see down here—as soon as they see us."
From November 2021 to 2022, traffic stops in the township increased from 1,028 to 1,990.
"We work this area all the time. It's a smaller jurisdiction, so we're pretty familiar with who lives here, what vehicles belong where, stuff like that," Wiswasser said.
"We're starting to get back to pre-pandemic numbers," Merony said. "More people out on the road, you're going to get more traffic stops, more enforcement."
Domestic violence calls decreased by almost 50% from 132 to 84.
"Again, attributed to the easing of restrictions," Merony said. "People can get out more."
Within the same timeframe, narcotics violations in the township increased from 27 to 49, and custody arrests increased from 189 to 365.
"What we are seeing is, in other interactions where we're contacted for something else, we're seeing more and more narcotics being a side thing that's involved with the crime," Merony said. "We're encountering drugs more and more on other calls we have."
Merony said the increase in narcotics violations isn't unique to DeWitt Township but rather part of a nationwide trend.
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