NEW BUFFALO TOWNSHIP — The Four Winds Casino has brought a lot of people to Berrien County. WSBT News has found that's also meant more crime. The number of calls to police in the area more than doubled in the six months after the casino opened, according to statistics provided by the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department.

The sheriff's department now has five deputies assigned to the area as part of a contract with New Buffalo Township. That's in addition to the Pokagon Tribal Police and the Michigan State Police. With so many people coming to the casino, they're not surprised by the increase.

WSBT News examined the calls to service in New Buffalo Township in the six months before the casino opened and then from August 2, 2007 (the casino's grand opening) to February 1, 2008.

Calls for service more than doubled from 577 before the casino opened to 1,199 after. Calls for everything from drunk driving to larcenies to assaults increased. In some cases, the increases were significant.

One assault was reported in the township before the casino opened, 21 were reported after.

“You have a lot of people visiting the casino in a 24-hour period, so you're going to have some assaults with that many people going,” said Paul Bailey, the Berrien County Sheriff. “Not many are happening on the casino property. We are having an increase in the hotels and stuff that are around.”

Police responded to almost three times as many accidents after the casino opened, mostly because of the increased traffic that comes in and out of the casino in New Buffalo Township.

“Most of our accidents were right there on Wilson Road and LaPorte Road and on 12,” Bailey said.

Most of the other calls were non-criminal in nature: things like drivers needing help with lockouts or gas.

Bailey believes the casino has been good for the county by providing jobs. Between his department, the tribal police and the state police, he says things are kept under control.

“Our cars are there a lot quicker than (when) we had a car that had to cover five townships, so we have a better presence there and we have more of a relationship with the citizens that live in New Buffalo Township,” Bailey said.

Despite the ongoing dispute about the revenue sharing between the casino and local governments, the extra police are being paid for through the separate Pokagon Fund. As the casino expands and more business comes in, the sheriff thinks more officers will be needed in the area.