Storm Lake’s July public safety report shows a month that was busy, brisk and full of movement — with police logging thousands of calls and fire crews staying active across inspections, false alarms and summer responses.
The Storm Lake Police Department handled 2,658 service calls in July, up slightly from 2,523 during the same month last year. Year‑to‑date, officers have logged 18,196 calls, also above last year’s pace. Property‑ and person‑related calls included one burglary, three assaults, five child abuse investigations and one adult sexual assault case. Disturbance calls rose to 26, while domestic disturbances dropped to six. Drug investigations fell sharply to one, compared to 10 last July. Officers also handled seven harassment reports, 12 suspicious person calls and seven suspicious vehicle calls, according to the department’s monthly report.
Traffic activity remained heavy. Officers conducted 477 vehicle stops, nearly identical to last year, and issued 381 traffic warnings. Police investigated 28 traffic accidents, including four with injuries, and responded to 25 motorist assists and 12 reckless driver complaints.
Public service calls continued to make up a large share of police activity. Officers handled 156 citizen assists, 60 animal complaints, 15 bar checks, 13 welfare checks and 18 business assists. City code enforcement fell drastically to four cases, compared to 80 last July. Security checks totaled 614, well above last year’s 508. Police also responded to nine alarm calls, 10 found property reports and three missing person cases.
Storm Lake officers assisted other agencies throughout July, including 42 ambulance assists, 12 fire department assists and 30 assists to the law department. Detectives completed 247 felony follow‑ups, 152 misdemeanor follow‑ups and 18 juvenile follow‑ups, clearing 31 cases and executing one search warrant.
The department’s K9 unit recorded two deployments, including one alert and one dog‑assisted arrest. Police collected $200 in parking ticket revenue, $90 for report copies, $140 in pet license fees and $200 in funeral escort and miscellaneous fees.
Meanwhile, the Storm Lake Fire Department responded to one brush fire, two other active fires, one EMS assist, three other responses and 13 false alarms in July. Year‑to‑date, false alarms remain high at 52, though still below last year’s 70. Fire crews also completed 12 rental inspections, six life safety presentations, four fire station tours and 34 public relations and outreach activities.
Firefighters conducted no commercial inspections and reported no carbon monoxide calls, no gas odor responses and no structure or vehicle fires for the month. The department has logged seven fire investigations so far this year.
