T-L Photo/KAILEY CARPINO Assistant Police Chief Darby Copeland gives a detailed annual report during the Bridgeport council meeting on Tuesday.

BRIDGEPORT — Assistant Police Chief Darby Copeland gave a detailed annual report to Bridgeport Village Council, pointing out one achievement that is a point of pride.

Copeland started with some information about the police department. He said the department is certified by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board.

“We are among less than 7% of agencies in the state that are fully accredited at this point.

That’s a pretty big deal to us to think about over 900 law enforcement agencies in Ohio, and we are one of the few fully certified,” Copeland said.

The report, delivered Tuesday, states that the Bridgeport Police Department is the only fully certified law enforcement agency in Belmont, Monroe and Jefferson counties.

Meanwhile, Copeland said the department made 2,758 traffic stops in 2023, noting that the drivers were mostly white males. The report went into more detail: 90% of the suspects were white, 8.5% were African American, 0.25% were Asian and 1.25% were of unknown ethnicity. The report also stated that 63.8% of the suspects were males, 36% were females and 0.2% were of unknown gender.

He said the department has a policy to prevent “bias-based policing.”

According to the report, “The bias-based policing policy is annually reviewed, and all officers receive ongoing training through Lexipol Daily Training Bulletins. The BPD conducted an annual review on traffic stops and non-traffic arrests. The purpose of the reviews were to evaluate the number of traffic stops and arrests related to the racial makeup of the residents of the Village of Bridgeport.”

The report states that the department did not receive any complaints about biased policing last year.

Copeland also said that one “daunting statistic” is that the number of calls for the police department has increased by 48.4% over the past four years.

“That’s with losing Brookside (which Bridgeport used to patrol under contract), so we have less area and more calls,” he said.

In 2023, the department received a total of 4,679 calls, which is 355 more than in 2022. Copeland said the police department has seen a steady increase in calls over the years.

“It’s really amazing that we handled this many calls with such a small staff,” he said.

The department also wrote 937 police reports, issued 974 traffic citations, handled 65 motor vehicle crash reports and filed 107 criminal charges.

Copeland said there were no calls for mass protests last year, but all officers are trained to handle protests.

Copeland also discussed the police department’s community involvement.

He said the Bridgeport police Facebook page has 2,932 followers. Copeland also mentioned community events that took place last year, including the annual “National Night Out” in August and their participation in Shop with a Cop.

He said about 500 children attended “National Night Out,” making it a success.

Copeland also said the department was “honored” to participate in Shop with a Cop.

“These are kids that don’t go to the toy aisle. They got to get underwear and socks and shampoos and things of that nature. So, it’s very humbling and we’re very happy to be able to do it,” he said.

Copeland also discussed the Handled with Care program that helps children exposed to violence and trauma. The Bridgeport Police Department started the program in 2020.

“If we have a kid in town that’s perhaps maybe involved in a domestic violence situation or any situation that, you know, they might need to be handled with care that day, we send a form to the school counselor. That way they can kind of support that kid and understand they’re probably going to have a bad day,” Copeland said.

He also said the police department is fully staffed despite six officers leaving the department last year.

“All left for better-paying jobs. We’re in a supply-and-demand situation worse than I ever thought we would be in law enforcement. It’s just like, somebody puts a job up that’s a little bit more they steal from somebody else. It really is a shuffling game. That being said, we do have a great group of officers right now. I hope none of them are going to leave, knock on wood, but it’s a challenge,” Copeland said.

Copeland also discussed the police department’s first awards ceremony, which took place in June. Chief John Bumba and Copeland presented all officers with an award for their service to the village.

Copeland said the department will hold a ceremony again this year but has not set a date yet.

Copeland pointed out that the report will also be published on the Bridgeport Police Facebook page. He said that he hopes to increase transparency within the department.

Bumba also attended the meeting but was not feeling well and lost most of his voice.

The Bridgeport Police Department is also gearing up for its third annual gun bash, which will take place on Feb. 17 at the James Carnes Center at the Belmont County Fairgrounds west of St. Clairsville. Doors open at 2 p.m., and the first drawing starts at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Bridgeport Equipment, the Bridgeport Police Department, Kolb & Son Excavating, Z Pipes and Supply in Lansing and Zeakes Exxon in Aetenville.

More information can be found on the Bridgeport Police Facebook page.