“Even though the daily activity logs do not always show it, Langley’s police department is busier than ever.Property crimes, traffic citations, miscellaneous citizen contacts, and a huge amount of paperwork chewed up most the department’s time in 1999. Bob Herzberg, the city’s police chief, presented his department’s 1999 annual report to Langley City Council Wednesday night, and let the council members know that the department is doing more law enforcement now with a smaller portion of the city’s budget than it was even five years ago.It took 29 percent of the city’s general fund or just over $236,000 to respond to 1,380 calls for assistance in 1999 — more calls than at any other time in the city’s history. Yet Langley spent a smaller percentage of its general fund on police than 19 of 24 similarly-sized cities surveyed in the department’s report. Only La Center, Friday Harbor, and Du Pont spent a smaller percentage.Of the contacts Langley officers made — up from 1141 in 1998 — 384 of them were in assist of the Island County Sheriff’s Office. In return, the county covered many calls that occurred in Langley when Langley officers were off duty. Herzberg said the county also provides his department with various in-kind services at no charge.Herzberg admitted that some days can be slow for his department, with just one or two calls for law enforcement coming in. But on other days, the calls can keep several officers busy every minute.We work with a product we have no control over, Herzberg said. We never know when it’s going to happen.Last year was a particularly quiet one for traffic enforcement. Because the department has lost some of its reserve officers recently, Herzberg said it does not have the manpower to send an officer on traffic duty on a regular basis. In all, the department issued 50 citations last year. The chief said the department would not have issued many more than that even with more staffing because past reserve officers have done such a good job of traffic enforcement that drivers know to slow down when entering Langley.Property crimes were the most common offenses the department investigated last year, looking into just over 230 cases involving everything from vandalism to burglary. Behind that, the bulk of calls to the department — 44 percent — involved public assistance or incidents that deviate from normal crime, such as reports of dead marine animals and unsubstantiated criminal complaints. Juvenile issues also kept the department busy.We hardly ever arrest an adult, Herzberg said. We’re just dealing with kids all the time now.With that in mind, the secret to the department’s success has been in its ability to forge relationships with Langley residents. Herzberg said the future reputation of his department relies on having good officer retention. All four members of the Langley force have been on the job at least six years, allowing them to get to know Langley and its people. Losing an officer over a matter such as compensation would hurt that relationship, and could leave the department in a staffing lurch, he said. Because it takes six months for an officer to train at the police academy, the city could find itself contracting with the sheriff’s office for officer assistance during a long down time.At present, Herzberg said he knows his staff is staying put.I think this is one of the most stable (departments) in Western Washington, Herzberg said.Although the number of calls the department handles is in the midst of an upward trend, Herzberg said Langley is no less safe. The city’s residents are just more comfortable calling the police with their concerns, leading to more work and higher call statistics.In coming years, Herzberg said his department will probably need to add officers and become a 24-hour agency. He said he would also like to have the manpower to put an officer in the schools full time. “