Police annual report cites drops in ATE citations after pause, highlights Narcan saves and tech gains

Des Moines Police presented the department's 2024 annual report to the City Council, reporting fewer automated traffic enforcement citations after a temporary pause in service and outlining changes in arrests, responses to mental-health crises, narcotics enforcement and investigative technology. Police Chief (the department's lead speaker) and staff addressed denied state approvals for some mobile speed camera locations, the department's rising use of mobile crisis teams and new lab equipment that shortened ballistic analysis turnaround from about a year to days.

The report matters because the enforcement and response trends affect road safety, downtown parking enforcement and how the city responds to mental-health calls and violent crime. Council members questioned whether data from cameras and response teams could support future applications or funding requests.

The Police Chief said the department recorded just over 14,000 red-light citations in 2024 (about 2% fewer than 2023) and about 78,000 speed-enforcement citations, which was about 20% less than 2023. He attributed part of that decline to a state-level pause in automated traffic enforcement between May 17 and June 27, when the department did not conduct ATE enforcements. The chief also said the department had applied to the state to add more approved mobile speed-camera locations but was denied: "We can keep applying. I think we're gonna have to figure out why we got denied." He said the state gave no substantive basis beyond a denial: "They just ... basically, they just said no."

Council members asked…