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Police chief presents annual report: staffing strains, crime trends, body cams and parking enforcement upgrades
Summary
Chief Tom delivered the department’s annual report, outlining staffing shortfalls, a rise in arrests, declines in some property crimes, new body-worn cameras and upgraded parking enforcement equipment, and participation with the Dutchess County Drug Task Force.
Beacon Police Chief Tom presented the department’s annual report to the Beacon City Council, reviewing 2024 statistics and ongoing initiatives including new body-worn cameras, upgraded parking-enforcement equipment, a relaunched Main Street bike patrol and continued participation in the Dutchess County Drug Task Force.
Why it matters: The report identifies staffing and recruitment as ongoing constraints while describing operational changes—new technology, training, and partnerships—that the department says are intended to improve public safety and community relations.
Chief Tom said the department is budgeted for 36 sworn positions and six civilian staff and that 2024 saw “unprecedented staff movement and under staffing.” He told the council the department contracts with a full-time behavioral specialist from Mental Health America and a part-time domestic violence victim advocate co-located at the station.
On crime statistics, the chief said calls for service were slightly down overall but that mental-health-related calls rose about 9% and arrests rose about 9% in 2024. He told the council that arrests accounted for 63% of aggravated-assault cases in 2024 and that reported burglaries declined roughly 41% between 2019 and 2024. He also said reported vandalism fell about 60% over the same five-year span.
Technology and initiatives highlighted: - Body-worn cameras from Axon are in operation and the department reported improved back-end upload and review capability. The chief called the cameras’ software “amazing.” - Parking-enforcement equipment was replaced and ticketing activity rose from double-digit months to triple-digit months after the upgrade, the chief said. - The department assigns a detective to the Dutchess County Drug Task Force; the chief credited the task force’s revised case processing with a countywide drop in overdose deaths. - The department recently began using Flock license-plate readers at city limits; the chief described at least one hit that aided an arrest related to a violent domestic case out of state.
On recruitment and retention the chief said the police union contract expires in 2025 and the department has been offering sign-on bonuses and outreach; the department conducted recent interviews with candidates from New York City and expected a new civil-service eligibility list in late April.
Council members asked for additional data visualization: mapping calls and traffic stops by location and time of day; the chief said location-by-location mapping is feasible but requires agreement on how to define geographic bins and attention to privacy. Council members also recommended including qualitative information about retention strategies and officer feedback in future reports.
Ending: The chief said he will continue to provide annual reports and work with the council on recruitment and data presentation options; the written report is available on the city’s website, he said.
