photo by: Photo by Derek Redd

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger discusses a murder investigation on Wheeling Island Thursday morning.

Drug overdoses and overdose deaths in Wheeling plummeted between 2021 and 2022, according to statistics released Friday by the Wheeling Police Department, but drugs remain an issue in the city, as drug-related arrests increased over the past year.

The WPD released crime statistics for 2022, reporting a 6% increase in overall arrests from 2021. Arrests for what the department categorizes Group A offenses, such as property crimes and crimes against people, were up 13%. Arrests for Group B offenses, like nuisance, quality of life and highway safety/traffic offenses, were down 2%.

Arrests for drug offenses were up 17% from 2021, but Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said that had a direct effect on the drop in drug overdoses and overdose deaths. Overdoses fell 22%, from 210 in 2021 to 164 in 2022. Overdose deaths fell 60%, from 28 in 2021 to just 11 in 2022.

“I believe we are continuing to turn the corner on our opioid problem, but it is by far not over,” Schwertfeger said in a WPD release. “Considering our drug overdoses and deaths are down a lot means the work WPD, along with our community partners indicates we are making progress.”

Burglary was the crime that grew the most in 2022, up 61% from 2021, and mostly happened in vacant structures. Thefts also rose 13% and items most stolen were bicycles, catalytic converters and unsecured outdoor items, as well as copper and metal objects inside vacant structures.

Crimes that decreased the most from 2021 were weapon offenses, down 42%, and vandalism, down 30%.

Return to theintelligencer.net later for more on this developing story.