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Police chief details 2024 workload, staffing concerns and technology gains

October 03, 2025 | Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa


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Police chief details 2024 workload, staffing concerns and technology gains
Police Chief presented a 2024 summary to the Des Moines City Council on Oct. 5, saying the department employed 494 people and the dispatch center handled a little more than 450,000 calls last year, including just under 150,000 911 calls.

The presentation matters because the department highlighted rising demand for crisis response and sustained crime‑solving performance while warning that low staffing risks burnout and higher attrition. The chief said the department’s five‑year strategic plan will include incremental staffing requests for the council’s consideration.

The chief opened with the department mission and vision and a direct description of staffing and organization: “In partnership with our community, we will provide for a general protection, safety, and well‑being of all through a proactive approach in the prevention, detection, investigation of criminal activity,” the chief said. He listed three majors overseeing investigations, administration and operations and described the administration division as handling planning and budget, radio services, property and evidence, 911 emergency communications and accreditation.

On calls for service, the chief said the dispatch center recorded “a little over 450,000 calls” in 2024, with “just under 150,000” of those 911 calls and the remainder nonemergency. He said roughly 75% of incoming calls were triaged as higher‑priority (priority 0–2), often because callers report unknown circumstances that suggest immediate risk. The chief noted weekday peaks “about 4:00” and a late‑night uptick around 11 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Automated traffic enforcement data also featured in the briefing: the department issued just over 14,000 red‑light citations in 2024 (about 2% fewer than 2023) and about 78,000 speed enforcement citations (about 20% fewer). The chief attributed part of the speed‑citation decline to a pause in mobile enforcement between May 17 and June 27 due to legislation, and to restrictions on where mobile speed devices may be placed. He said the city has six mobile camera units that rotate among 12 approved locations and that a recent application for more mobile speed sites was denied by the state; he said staff will seek an explanation for the denial.

Council members pressed for additional data about camera performance and the proportion of passing vehicles cited. The chief said the camera records violation speeds but does not routinely report non‑violation speeds; he suggested staff could supply that data for future applications.

On oversight and accountability, the chief said professional standards handled 28 citizen complaints in 2024 (12 sustained, 15 unfounded, 1 exonerated). Internally, 52 personnel complaints were sustained and one unfounded; the chief said traffic‑related conduct during pursuits is the most common internal issue.

The briefing also covered arrests, pursuits and the reasons they begin. The department reported about 8,400 arrests in 2024 for a variety of offenses; vehicle pursuits numbered 157. The chief said equipment violations (expired tags, lights out) were the top single reason for initiating many traffic stops but that such stops have declined amid renewed emphasis on the liability of vehicle pursuits.

Mental‑health and crisis response were central topics. The combined mobile crisis response team and a separate CARE program handled 8,891 calls in 2024 — a roughly 50% increase from 2023 — and fewer than 1% of those calls resulted in arrest. The chief said the dispatch center includes a crisis‑trained dispatcher who can sometimes arrange services without sending officers; he also said about 1,400 field responses by the care team in 2024 did not involve a uniformed officer. Council members asked whether more care workers or cross‑trained dispatchers could increase the number of incidents handled without officer response.

Investigations and forensic work drew emphasis as drivers of clearance rates. The department said Part I crime clearance rates are above national averages across several crime categories; the chief attributed part of that performance to technology and lab improvements. The department added a shell‑casing analyzer that has shortened turnaround from roughly a year to a few days, producing faster leads for detectives and improving intelligence across multiple scenes via ballistic matches in the NIBIN database.

Narcotics, seizures and evolving criminal methods were also discussed. Officers seized just under 600 firearms in 2024 (the chief said that number is down from 2022), and the department recorded 180 overdose incidents and 27 narcotics‑related deaths. Officers administered naloxone (Narcan) 35 times, and the chief said 30 lives were saved. He noted that large cash seizures are becoming rarer because traffickers increasingly move proceeds by cryptocurrency, making recovery difficult.

Council members and the chief discussed staffing concerns at length. The chief warned that low staffing increases burn‑out and shortens tenure, and he said hiring trends have improved — with two academy classes held in 2024, 37 graduates and 16 recruits hired who rolled into 2025 figures — but that sustained, incremental staffing increases in the strategic plan will likely be necessary. The chief said the department logged just over 43,000 training hours in 2024 and that recruiting work includes a dedicated officer and outreach via social media.

The meeting produced no formal motions or votes on police budget or staffing. Council members requested more follow‑up data, including: detailed automated camera speed distributions and non‑violation traffic speeds for future state applications; a breakdown of mobile crisis responses with and without officer response; and cost and staffing projections to support the chief’s five‑year strategic plan.

Ending: The council thanked the chief for the detailed annual report. The chief said the department will present a five‑year strategic staffing and investment plan, with incremental budget requests outlined year by year, for council review before formal budget actions.

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Scribe from Workplace AI
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