DES MOINES, Iowa — Memorial Day weekend will kick off the summer season in just a few days. For police, it means officers are stepping into a season that typically sees an uptick in violent crime.
"Historically, crime in the Midwest is pretty cyclical with the seasons," said Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek. "So we know we're going to get busier."
So far this year, however, the number of confirmed shootings are trending lower compared to the same time last year.
"That's a positive for us," Parizek said. "And it's hoping it's something that we hope we can hang on to as we start getting into the warmer months."
While the number of these scenes are trending lower, what officers are finding at these scenes is causing some concern.
"One of the alarming things that we've seen in recent years are the number of shots that are actually being fired when we do have a shooting incident," Parizek said. "We had one recently where we recovered over 70 shell casings at one shooting."
Miraculously, no one was hit by the dozens of bullets fired at that scene.
Parizek adds when it comes to getting guns off the streets, officers are seeing a pace similar to last year's record-setting year.
"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Parizek said. "But we set a record last year with 780 guns taken off the streets. It all depends on how you look at it. Every gun we take off the street could be a life that saved. But it's concerning that there's so many of them out there in those hands that they're willing to commit crimes or hurt people."