FAIRHOPE, Ala. — That Fairhope is a peaceful and safe community owes a lot to the changes the local police department has made in the past decade to keep up with a population that has grown almost 30 percent, Fairhope Police Department Sgt. Craig Sawyer said during a Jan. 14 report to the City Council.

Those improvements to the FPD will soon include an addition of five black Ford Crown Victoria “police interceptor” automobiles to the department’s fleet of vehicles.

The purchase of the cars was approved at the council meeting for a total cost of $104,495 in a contract awarded to Chuck Stevens Ford of Bay Minette through the state bid system. The bid form stated the cars are expected to arrive within the next 12 to 14 weeks.

Sawyer said the department currently has 24 patrol cars, all of which are Crown Victorias, which includes three unmarked vehicles for officers who are not on patrol.

“Our investigators (also) have two Chevy Trailblazers and two unmarked cars,” he said. “The jail has a Ford Excursion … . When the (new patrol cars) arrive, we will retire some of our older ones.”

Sawyer presented the council with a detailed history of the police department that covered the past 10 years.

“Our old building was compared to a medieval dungeon,” he said, referring to the police station the department occupied in 1998.

That building on Section Street is the city’s original City Hall complex built in 1928 and is now being renovated as the Fairhope Museum of History, which is scheduled to open in April.

Sawyer’s report showed dramatic changes during the past 10 years in the place where the police department is located. The new justice department is a modern complex across the street from the old building.

The report stated:

• In 1998, the department occupied an aging building. The old police station had one dispatch console, one clerical office, five upstairs officers shared by chief, assistant chief and investigators and two downstairs offices used as workspace by patrol officers.

• The municipal jail in 1998 consisted of four cells opening onto a common corridor. The jail could hold 14 males and two females. Al inmates shared the same shower. The cells had outdated bars.

• In 2008, the new justice center has a communications center with three radio-telephone consoles, seven cubicles for officers, 15 offices, interview room, class room, and a secure evidence vault.

• The new municipal jail is divided into five main areas: booking/processing area; female cell; male cell; visitation/support; control pod.

• The booking/prisoner processing area has four holding cells each with two bunks. This area also has a state of the art breath-analysis machine and advanced fingerprint-scanner machine.

• There are two separate areas for inmate housing, with males and females housed separately. Each area has two levels with four cells per level and one shower on each level.

• During 2007, there were 2,023 persons booked into the jail with an average daily jail population of 20 to 35 inmates.

Sawyer’s report also showed major changes in personnel at the department.

“This is the first time in our history that we have three sworn female officers,” he said.

The report showed:

• The FPD grew from 21 officers in 1998, when the population of the city was 12,480, to 32 officers at the beginning of 2008, when the population is estimated at greater than 16,100

• In 1998, the police department has a chief of police, assistant chief, 15 patrol officers, two investigators and one equipment/support officer.

• In 2008, the department had a chief of police, assistant chief/captain, patrol lieutenant, three criminal investigators, one juvenile crimes investigator, two traffic officers, three community officers, two K-9 officers, 17 patrolmen, and one officer assigned to a federal task force.

• The prior experience of the department now includes former positions at the Mobile PD, Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, Balwind County SO, Foley PD, Montgomery PD, Alabama Marine Resources, Bay Minette PD, Gulf Shores PD, Michigan PD, Los Angeles PD, and San Jose, Calif., PD.

• The department also maintains an active police reserve unit and law enforcement Explorer post.

The report also provided statistics of the past year’s work:

• In 2007, the FPD issued 1,438 traffic citations, including 629 speeding, 161 driving while suspended, 82 red light, and 52 reckless driving tickets.

• Completed 567 collision reports, 2,040 incident/offense reports, dispatchers answered 81,241 calls, and an animal control officer handled 630 animal complaints.

The report also analyzed the statewide and local sex offender statistics:

• The Alabama Department of Public Safety tracks approximately 9,200 registered adult criminal sex offenders statewide.

• On average there are 170 such offenders living in Baldwin County. There are currently six in Fairhope

• At times there were as many as 12 in Fairhope. However, through enforcement of Alabama’s Community Notifications Act, within the past 24 months the FPD filed charges against nine offenders, who have either been incarcerated, awaiting trial or have moved.

The report also stated that the FPD is forming the city’s first tactical unit, the Emergency Response Team, which will consist of officers who have received specialized training in tactics and will benefit all officers in all aspects of responding to emergencies.

“Our staff of professional, dedicated police officers, dispatchers, corrections officers, and civilian personnel continue a tradition of excellence that keeps Fairhope a safe, friendly community for our families,” Sawyer said.