The Boise Police Department is out with a report offering residents of the City of Trees a snapshot of the agency.

Calls for service are up, but crime is down and response times have improved. The 2018 Report to Citizens from Boise PD outlines trends like those and details where the department is focusing its efforts.

Click 'play' to hear the audio version of this story.

According to the report, the department got over 160,000 calls last year. Violent crimes were down by 8 percent in 2018, and burglary – which is already at a historic low – declined by 15 percent.

Initiatives the department highlights in the report include the introduction of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – a.k.a. drone – program. Local police say they looked at how other departments deployed drones for a year before committing to the technology in Boise. BPD says drones can expedite traffic collision investigations and help map large crime scenes.

The report also highlights efforts Boise Police are making to address the national opioid crisis. The authorities are speaking to students in 8th and 11th grades about the dangers of the deadly drugs. The report says the department deals with instances involving opioids about 40 times a month.

Citing the 2018 Boise Citizen Survey, the police report touts a full 50 percent of residents think crime is only a small problem in the city. Nine percent of residents say crime isn’t an issue. In that same survey, residents said the biggest police-related issues they have are traffic offenses.

For more local news, follow the KBSX newsroom on Twitter @KBSX915

Copyright 2019 Boise State Public Radio