Reported crimes dropped 2 percent in Campbell last year, though police aren’t quite sure what specifically caused it.

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what brought this decrease,” said Campbell Police Chief David Carmichael.

The department’s annual report breaks down reported crimes into part one and part two crimes. Part one crimes include theft, rape, burglary, aggravated assaults, homicides and robbery. Part two crimes include fraud, forgery, vandalism, alcohol-related crimes, drug offenses and weapons violations.

In 2016 the department saw 35,380 called-in or officer-initiated service incidents, down from 36,558 in 2015. The department handled 14,066 emergency calls, made 2,160 arrests and wrote 5,064 reports, according to the report.

The city had zero homicides, whereas in 2015 there was one. Carmichael said there was a 10 percent decrease in reported theft. In 2015 there were 1,006 thefts and last year, 907.

“We’ve enjoyed some reduction, but there are some factors that work against us,” he said, adding that those factors include repeat offenders who are released early from jail.

To combat bicycle and package thefts, the police department implemented “bait” programs, where police leave unattended packages on residential properties and bicycles around the city. GPS devices are embedded in the bikes and packages, which alert officers when they are moved.

Carmichael said the programs “send a message” to the community.

“You never know if we’re tracking a package or bike,” Carmichael said.

Reported burglaries and robberies were nearly identical last year to 2015. Last year there were 249 burglaries and 33 robberies, whereas in 2015 there 247 and 30, respectively.

Last year there were 4,930 traffic citations issued. The department and other law enforcement agencies teamed up to reduce pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle collisions by patrolling traffic in different jurisdictions each month.

Carmichael said the department has also used social media to its advantage to solve crimes. The department posts photos, videos and descriptions of crimes on Twitter and its own mobile device app to get information out and ask the public for assistance.

The department has made arrests on more than 60 percent of cases posted to social media in the last year and a half.

“Social media has been very helpful to use,” Carmichael said.

Carmichael also credits the community for its support of the department, saying people stop by the office to say hello or thank you.

“It’s a great example of that police-community partnership,” he said, adding the department is bringing back Cop Cards, collectible cards featuring the department’s police officers in the style of baseball cards.

“It’s a great way to humanize our officers. Some of us still have them when we were brand-new to the department,” he said.

The department also brought back its bike patrol program, which had been dormant for a few years. The Campbell Police Foundation purchased bikes for officers to patrol in hard to reach areas such as parks and creek trails.

There are 44 full-time police officers and seven reserve officers at the Campbell Police Department. Its headquarters are located below Campbell City Hall, 70 N. First St. Some officers work out of a portable building in the parking lot of the department.