[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6223967,"mediaKeyId","3556977-48ebd3bf0e88d92ef8ff9af27815cd49","parentId",3556977,"title","Ogden police report multi-year crime decline, seek budget increases for technology and training","audioSeconds",2688,"startMs",937000,"endMs",3625000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3556977-48ebd3bf0e88d92ef8ff9af27815cd49&start=937&end=3625","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3556977-48ebd3bf0e88d92ef8ff9af27815cd49/thumbnail_937000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6223967/Utah/Ogden-police-report-multi-year-crime-decline-seek-budget-increases-for-technology-and-training","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6223967-70a6d831588ed5e31381b773e7af62fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771108410&Signature=miMyV3LyZ4DhSIFqhtDDiTLCUAYzAJNSSXX7~eA2ClTAycVaR~rScAn5ez2v4OdTHbAQlbB30qgqykxZEnrep0vq41AV3R-ifq7WnW~O6Szec32Ef2eVKBhNG3TiMj1HnlMUQPSM8sBrphO~qPMa2yUXkKv7kK994q7FrXXqqfNqxvMlHv2eEKxfTf5cJEBswnL-2gEh2N1t-nosklfU2clPvmStAk2mfzte~bA7zu6YuA9T5xsjOrgUKQqnOtOH71qtVQT7xZSIv-KCOEbIiSdlrDJZQFlWsWFfgCJy-y2AUga8VuEaiwlKls5L6~XNFdhaaNq49qvOBMBQnCKDpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-28T13:09:10Z","article","Ogden police officials told the Ogden City Council at a May 27 work session that Part 1 crimes have declined sharply since 2016 and that the department is seeking higher operating funding for technology, training and specialized positions.

The presentation, delivered by Brandon, a Police Department representative, and given on behalf of Chief Suby, described a multi-year drop in serious crimes and outlined where the department is asking for additional resources. “In 02/2016 we recorded 53.1 Part 1 crimes per 1,000 residents,” Brandon said. “In 02/2024 we recorded 23.6 per 1,000 — nearly cut in half.” The department reported it is 14% below the same period last year through April 2025.

The city’s police leaders framed the decline as the result of a mix of crime-reduction strategies and investments in training. Brandon said the department logged 15,825 training hours in 2024 — about 110 hours per officer — against a statutory minimum of 40 hours. He said the training includes mental-health and crisis response, de‑escalation, autism awareness, firearms and internal affairs.

Police officials highlighted a shift in some statistics driven by enforcement. Under the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), crimes against persons were down 17.1% year over year and crimes against property were down 7.5%, the presentation said. By contrast, “crimes against society” rose; Brandon said that of 910 such incidents logged this year, 821 were drug offenses — roughly 90% — and that increase reflects proactive policing that uncovers drug possession and paraphernalia that otherwise would go undetected.

The department also gave usage and service figures. Brandon said patrol and related units handled roughly 42,595 calls for service in the 10 months measured in fiscal 2025, and estimated total officer–citizen contacts (calls plus proactive encounters) near 79,000, producing 56 documented uses of force during that span. “That’s about seven uses of force for every 10,000 police‑citizen contacts,” Brandon said; he added that among arrests the use‑of‑force rate rises to about 1%.

Homeless‑service work and victim support were emphasized as part of public‑safety outcomes. The department said its homeless mitigation team housed 74 people this fiscal year, made 2,667 mitigation contacts and has 504 individuals receiving ongoing services. The department’s victim advocacy staff provide outreach to roughly five victims per workday, the presentation said.

Officials described recent technology and efficiency changes that the department says are reducing staff time and costs. The Police Department reported IT auditing and subscription reductions that saved about $25,000 and said a GovQA records platform and BuyCrash traffic‑crash automation together have saved an estimated several thousand staff hours in their first year of use.

Budget requests discussed at the work session included a planned increase in training funding to about $206,000 to cover recurring training needs rather than relying on unspent payroll, and an increase tied to the department’s Axon contract for body cameras, storage and taser replacement. Brandon said the existing Axon services contract is about $200,000 per year and that the department is asking for an additional increase (presented as an approximately $31,000 uplift) to move to a 10‑year contract that would include updated taser hardware (taser 10), virtual‑reality training, unlimited storage and hardware warranties. Brandon said that the department purchased taser sevens in 2021 (which are near end of life) and that the taser 10 technology would raise reliability from under 50% (single‑shot devices) to an agency‑reported effective rate above 90%.

On staffing, the department reported recent recruiting gains after boosting lateral‑hire incentives. The sign‑on bonus was raised from $5,000 to $7,500 and the department now offers 40 hours of front‑loaded leave for laterals; Brandon said that lateral recruitments rose from 2 to 13 in the months after those changes, a 550% increase. He said the department is currently staffed above its authorized baseline: “We are currently staffed at 53 of 50 sworn positions,” he said, and noted several officers remain in the academy or training.

Council members asked several follow‑ups about perception of safety versus crime statistics, response times for property‑crime calls, and the department’s strategy on traffic and pedestrian safety. Brandon said the department wants survey questions that separate perceptions from direct victimization (for example, “Have you witnessed a crime?” versus “Do you feel safe?”) and said officials can provide comparisons to state and national averages on request.

No formal votes or ordinance changes were taken during the police briefing. Council members asked the department to provide additional comparative data, to clarify the cost impacts of the proposed Axon contract extension and to supply details on any department‑specific employee support programs beyond citywide benefits.

The council’s discussion underscored two near‑term follow‑ups: more detailed benchmarking to other jurisdictions on crime rates and response times, and a budget cost breakdown for the Axon contract and the training funding so the council can consider the requests when it reviews the tentative and final budgets next month.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ogden City Council Work Session - May 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Ogden police officials told the Ogden City Council at a May 27 work session that Part 1 crimes have declined sharply since 2016 and that the department is seeking higher operating funding for technology, training and specialized positions.","taxTitle","South Ogden City Council, South Ogden , Weber County, Utah","taxId",24541,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6223962,"Public services outlines Marshall White opening, WonderBlock parking timeline and Lester Park proposal",555,7050000,7605000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3556977-48ebd3bf0e88d92ef8ff9af27815cd49&start=7050&end=7605","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3556977-48ebd3bf0e88d92ef8ff9af27815cd49/thumbnail_7050000.jpg","/articles/6223962/Utah/Public-services-outlines-Marshall-White-opening-WonderBlock-parking-timeline-and-Lester-Park-proposal","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6223962-a5758d6193f9488ad044b5085cd29c7f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771108411&Signature=C6JkqUiX1Og8FOt2hPTwy5qkTA4LNKA4L5555e67HCk3qvbOi0ch56-8nbHLcTDTMb-MUZcmqZCvnlkCRrWioCxf7W~nmnTBPSaXKVSBH8JHrtMcRDjTf4nDNjkGQuECOZ82DTmzkK6C6aeo0LlGbKeHe-M4QnTKzMfYSgTyBdb2qQg-a7~JCYy3A3eOCkDS0fMsLVlmZbb9sBfohIrLQ-s8cm2ZBtvE7KmFR2vZ-MQxCN1vWdijoXjRaHcM8WD7HdsMUPOqu3oCkIy314qIuMcQnOOA5A3v~dMUDD~MqkMs0-3yM1sBZi1FeYZX0tbxduYYPtmGHlhLl0tfDo26vQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Justin Anderson, Public Services director, briefed the Ogden City Council on May 27 about capital projects, staffing and service changes across public works, parks, water, recreation and fleet operations.

Anderson opened with the Marshall White Center, which the department has opened and is serving members; staff reported more than 200 memberships and active day‑use. He also presented the eight‑story WonderBlock parking structure, describing the contractor’s progress and saying the structural build‑out of the eight levels is complete; finishing work, painting, facade installation and interior systems remain. The city plans software and operational testing to coincide with the opening of adjacent development; Anderson said the structure should be ready for occupancy by fall with additional software and management steps completed before public pay‑parking begins.

On park projects, Anderson said the department is preparing a transmittal on a phased Lester Park upgrade that would add playgrounds, pickleball courts, an oval that could host an ice rink in winter, pavilions and more accessible paths. He said the council would receive the transmittal shortly and that staff hopes to begin phased construction by late summer.

Public Services described multiple infrastructure initiatives: an extensive canyon water‑line replacement is underway (the team said one recent segment connects the Pine View Reservoir area to the dam), a consultant is being sought to study water hydraulics and flushing protocols following recent discolored‑water complaints, and the department reported emergency water‑line leak counts and a 5‑year replacement objective. Anderson said the city’s current plan targets replacing about 1.2% of water mains annually (an ~80‑year replacement cycle) and noted the program is behind target by roughly a mile of pipe for this planning window.

Sidewalk‑and‑walkway work was highlighted with before‑and‑after examples from recent projects (including 30th Street and Oakcrest) and a plan to cluster replacements to reduce costs. The department also summarized a bridge replacement (Gramercy Avenue) fully funded by a state grant, expected to be removed and rebuilt with completion targeted for October 2025.

On recycling and refuse, Anderson said contamination in curbside recycling has risen and that the department has asked for an audit of recyclable materials from the city’s vendor to guide an education campaign. He noted an upcoming county transfer‑station fee increase (approximately $2.25 per ton on July 1) that may require a future refuse fee adjustment.

Fleet and sustainability items included EV charging rollouts in partnership with Rocky Mountain Power and a multi‑year fleet replacement plan for refuse vehicles; the city has five new refuse trucks in production and plans to buy four more the following year.

Council member Dave (surname not specified) proposed creation of a city trails manager to inventory and prioritize trail maintenance, coordinate volunteers and partners, pursue grants and lead trail‑safety improvements. Anderson indicated parks could host trail work but said the proposal would require review; he agreed to circulate the written proposal to council members.

Anderson and department staff also discussed parking management. The city has selected parking management software and equipment but paused some timeline elements to rework operational funding; the WonderBlock Towers parking structure is scheduled to open in late 2025 and the city plans a trial or phased implementation of managed parking to observe employee and visitor behavior before full rollout.

No votes or final budget amendments were taken at the work session; council members asked for follow‑up information on parking financials, sidewalk and water‑line priorities, the Gramercy bridge schedule and the proposed trails manager scope and cost.","Public Services presented capital projects and operations at the May 27 council work session, including the recent Marshall White Center opening, progress on the WonderBlock parking structure, proposed Lester Park upgrades, water‑line and sidewalk work, and a council proposal to create a trails manager position.","actionData","errors"]

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Ogden police report multi-year crime decline, seek budget increases for technology and training

Public services outlines Marshall White opening, WonderBlock parking timeline and Lester Park proposal