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WHEELING — Sex offenses, drug overdoses and crimes involving guns all increased in Wheeling from 2016 to 2017, according to figures released Thursday by the city’s police department.

Total arrests increased about 36 percent from year to year, while overall calls for service dropped by 2 percent, according to the department’s annual report.

Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said he can’t explain definitively the increases in certain categories of more serious crimes — termed “Group A” offenses in the report. He said the numbers don’t necessarily mean the city is less safe than it was a year ago, but in some cases are attributable to targeted efforts to root out crime and increased willingness by the public to report crimes such as sexual abuse to law enforcement.

Forcible sexual offenses increased from 18 in 2016 to 40 in 2017, according to the report.

“I cannot necessarily explain the sex offense category …,” Schwertfeger said. “We partner with agencies like (the Department of Health and Human Resources) to do child abuse investigations, the Sexual Assault Help Center and the YWCA — a lot of education and prevention. Maybe we are seeing a spike in it because there is such awareness and then you have the national climate as it relates to women being victimized. People are apt to report. … I don’t know that what we’re looking at is anything more than just more awareness.”

City police dealt with 110 drug overdoses in 2017, up from 98 the previous year.

Wheeling saw six fatal overdoses last year, an increase from three in 2016.

“I think the majority of our fatalities involved in overdoses are those that were found inside a residence … or they chose to inject heroin or other substances that would cause them to overdose in an area where there is no support,” Schwertfeger said.

Although combating the drug epidemic in the region is one of Schwertfeger’s main priorities, he said the department does not have the manpower to address the issue after the fact.

“We don’t have the time to follow up after an overdose to try and get someone into treatment,” he said.

The department did apply for a grant in an effort to hire an employee to address the growing drug issue, but was denied, according to Schwertfeger.

“We did not get that award and it is a shame. I was disappointed and I thought we had a good argument for that,” he said.

Gun violence and weapon offenses also increased in 2017, which Schwertfeger believes is related to the drug trafficking in the area.

“The gun violence has low numbers, but nonetheless it’s an increase, and there’s no doubt that we took a lot of guns off the street in 2017. That’s probably attributed to the drug trafficking trade, so were looking to do some partnerships with the federal government this year — doing some gun initiatives, some efforts to reduce gun violence and get guns off the streets in the city of Wheeling, as well,” Schwertfeger said.

“Group A” offenses include more serious crimes such as murder or robbery. “Group B” offenses relate more to traffic violations and quality-of-life issues.

Schwertfeger believes that the majority of these increases in group A in crime are due to effective policing.

“That coupled with complaints from citizens that correlate to the same areas and then you focus resources in those areas and that’s why that number is so high,” he said.

Wheeling police made 940 arrests during 2017, a dramatic increase from 648 in 2016. As with many issues, Schwertfeger said it all comes back to drugs.

“I’d be willing to wager that the majority of them were drug-related,” he said. “There’s also a 27-percent increase in criminal citations, so the officers are kicking butt and taking names — they’re busting it. They’re working hard. It’s dangerous work and they’re making an impact.”

Schwertfeger credited his officers’ efforts with a reduction in burglaries, vandalisms and theft.

“The directed and aggressive patrols are going beyond the routine of working a beat. It is basically overtime and the city is funding that. All those crimes are down, which is great,” he said.

As the department moves forward, Schwertfeger believes the city’s new crime analyst, John Wroten, will help the department address issues more effectively. He said there will be more officers out on the street in the coming months, with eight new hires in various stages of training.

“We have quality police officers. There is no doubt about it. … Ultimately, Wheeling is a safe place,” Schwertfeger said. “No one would say that they are scared to death to walk or drive through Wheeling and we’re just going to continue to make it better.”

Schwertfeger also plans to address impaired driving and distracted driving in 2018 by rebuilding the department’s traffic unit.

“I’ve been highly committed to highway safety. We’re going to make an effort of really reducing the number of crashes, which was 1,100 or so in the city of Wheeling last year. Distracted driving, impaired driving — we are really going to hammer that.”