Storm Lake’s public safety agencies have released their April activity reports, showing another steady month for both police and fire crews, with several notable shifts from last year’s numbers.
The Storm Lake Police Department handled 2,573 service calls in April, down from 2,775 during the same month last year. Year‑to‑date, officers have logged 10,023 calls, slightly below the 10,283 recorded at this point in 2025.
In property‑ and person‑related calls, police responded to one burglary, two forgery cases, two assaults and two domestic disturbances. Disturbance calls rose to 23, up from 11 last April, while drug investigations dropped to eight, compared to 19 a year ago. Officers also handled four child abuse cases and two dead body scenes with no gun or weapon complaints, compared to three last year.
Traffic activity remained busy. Officers conducted 745 vehicle stops, an increase from 546 last April. Police investigated 27 traffic accidents, including two with injuries, and issued 591 traffic warnings, up from 472 a year ago. Motorist assists totaled 22, and reckless driver complaints came in at 15.
Public service calls included 108 citizen assists, 28 animal complaints, 18 bar checks and 13 welfare checks. City code enforcement saw a sharp drop again, with just three cases, compared to 98 last April. Officers also conducted 504 security checks, down from 620 a year ago.
Police assisted other agencies throughout the month, including 40 ambulance assists, nine fire department assists and 27 assists to the law department. Detectives completed 178 felony follow‑ups, 37 misdemeanor follow‑ups and 45 juvenile follow‑ups. They cleared 15 cases, executed four search warrants and logged 13.5 hours of overtime.
The department’s K9 unit recorded four deployments, two alerts and one dog‑assisted arrest, along with 16 hours of training. Police collected $425 in parking ticket revenue, $110 for report copies, $120 in pet licenses and $800 for funeral escorts.
Meanwhile, the Storm Lake Fire Department responded to two structure fires, one vehicle fire, one brush fire and two other active fires in April. Crews also handled one gas odor call, three citizen assists, two false alarms and one EMS assist. Other responses totaled seven for the month.
On the prevention and outreach side, firefighters completed 45 rental inspections, three commercial inspections, two life safety presentations, one fire‑station tour and 19 public relations and outreach activities. The department also conducted one fire investigation.
