CALDWELL, Idaho — The Caldwell Police Department has seen a decrease in certain crimes after shifting from responding to incidents after they happen to preventing them before they occur, according to department officials.

The approach is called "proactive policing."

In 2024, the department hired a crime data analyst and began mapping crime hotspots or areas of increased crime throughout the city. Officers now spend time proactively patrolling these areas rather than simply responding to calls.

"What reactive in policing means is that once a crime happens, we go to that location and take a report and then follow up and try to make an arrest," said Caldwell Police Capt. Robert Rosin. "But what proactive means is that we get there before the crime happens and we actually stop the crime."

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