Frequently seen in downtown Lafayette Photo Cathy Tyson

Lafayette Police Chief Michael Hubbard, in his annual report to the City, reported that Lafayette is a safe community, but not necessarily a secure community. There were 22,816 calls for service in 2009 - that comes out to an average of 62 calls per day, every day of the year - a slight increase from 2008's 21,038 calls.

What's the breakdown of those calls? Zero homicides, two reports of rape, and 14 reports of domestic violence.

Reports of possession and sales of drugs have continuously declined from 99 in 2005 to only 22 in 2009 - that's the good news.

The bad news, which may not come as a surprise, was the 226 reports of thefts from vehicles in Lafayette. By comparison, Orinda had only 95, according to Hubbard. The reason for these thefts is two-fold, he stated, "leaving your car unlocked - a crime of opportunity and leaving something of value in plain view." He added, "If we can address those two things the number of thefts would drop precipitously."

Another notable matter on the increase is the number of D.U.I.s in Lafayette, up significantly from 71 in 2008 to 107 in 2009. Also on the upswing - parking citations and traffic citations. Despite a grace period given to holiday shoppers around Christmas time, officers wrote up 11,962 parking tickets - an increase of 44%. Over a thousand more traffic citations were issued this year than last - 3,355 in 2009 versus 2,333 in 2008.

A decrease in injury accidents from 38 to 28, "makes it worth enforcing traffic regulations" resulting in fewer injuries, said the Chief.

Bottom line: it's worth putting that extra quarter in your parking meter, don't speed, put valuables in your trunk and if feeling less than sober at one of Lafayette's watering holes - call a cab.