Troy policemen are getting more active these days, according to statistics released by Chief Anthony Everage.

For

example, the department handles the 911 calls for both the city of Troy and the sheriff's department.

In 1996, there were 19,835 911 calls handled by the department. Last year, some 36,171 911 calls were logged.

In the first six months of 2003, the department has handled just more than 18,000 911 calls.

"What we're seeing is more calls for service, and more public safety-type calls," Everage said.

Everage said because of the increase in 'protection' activities - the tradition law enforcement roles such as responding to crimes and handling traffic patrols - his department was looking at having to prioritize the 'service' end of police work, such as providing escorts for businesses to make after-hours deposits or escorting funerals and parades, or unlocking car doors.

There were 2,742 "Key" calls, statistics show, where policemen in the city responded to unlock vehicles whose owners had locked up the car keys. That number is up from 2,539 in 2000.

Last year, there were 2,778 extra patrols conducted by Troy officers. So far this year,

they've completed 914 extra patrols.

"A lot of times we get a request to keep an eye on someone's home while they are away, but there are any number of reasons we do extra patrols," Everage said.

But, just in case some people may think the police are busy doing other things," there were 3,141 traffic stops in the city last year, and have been 1,331 in the first five months of 2003.

Some other selected call numbers since the first of the year are:

Breaking and entering automobiles - 104

Auto thefts - 20

Child abuse - 3

Deaths (investigated) - 6

Domestic disputes - 344

Fires (called in)

-

141

Rape - 4

Gas drive-offs -

92

City Clerk Alton Starling said that funding for the police department had increased since 2000.

Additional police officers were a portion of the increase in the department's budget, he said.

City budget figures reveal that in the 1999-2000 budget, the department's budget was $2,209,000.

It was $2.38 million

for 2000-2001, and $2.466 million in the 2001-2002 budget.

The police department received a 4.59 percent increase in the 2002-2003 budget to its current funding level of $2,579,200.