The University of Iowa added its second-largest first-year class in its 178-year history, resulting in 23,407 university undergraduates in the city for the fall, and with population increases, the city also faces an increase in the incidence of accidents, and first responders face an increase in calls.
Calls for service for all agencies in Johnson County, including the Iowa City Police Department, totaled 14,825 between Aug. 31 and Sept. 29, according to the Joint Emergency Communications Center website.
Iowa City has an overall crime rate of about 39.56, slightly higher than the national average of 33.37, according to the NextDoor website, a neighborhood networking website and app with crime data for thousands of cities.
Although call volume sees a spike during certain times of the year, overall crime has fallen in Johnson County by 3.4 percent since 2024, according to Iowa’s Department of Public Safety. Scott Gaarde, a captain at the Iowa City Police Department, said there is a direct correlation with crime rates going up as temperatures rise…