The Lake Stevens Police Department presented its 2024 annual report to the City Council, reporting reductions in many crime types alongside persistent staffing shortages and a growing backlog in DUI forensic testing.

Police Chief (Lake Stevens Police Department) told the council the department "serves the Lake Stevens community by enhancing public safety and the quality of life through professional police services, organizational excellence, and community interaction," and outlined 2024 statistics, staffing levels and priorities for 2025.

Chief: staffing and recruitment

Chief said the department began the year with six vacancies, experienced three separations during the year, and has since hired to reach nearly full staffing except for two open positions (a traffic position and a detective). He reported the department is staffed for 37 sworn positions (36 filled at year-end) and 10 noncommission positions (10 filled). The chief said only 12 patrol officers are currently deployable “out of 24” patrol positions at any one time because of training and administrative limitations. He said the city would need roughly 50–54 patrol officers to reach the state average officers-per-thousand benchmark cited in the presentation.

Crime trends, traffic and collisions

The presentation showed that crimes against people fell about 26% from 2023 to 2024, crimes against society fell about 20%, and crimes against property fell about 16%. The department recorded roughly 22,000–23,000 calls for service and opened 2,329 case reports in 2024, the chief said.

At the same time, the department flagged a sharp increase in traffic collisions concentrated along State Route 204 and Highway 9 and said the rise in collisions is a primary reason it needs a functioning traffic unit. The department logged 184 DUI incidents in 2024 and recovered seven stolen firearms, the chief said.

DUI toxicology backlog

The chief told council members the Washington State Patrol crime lab has about a two-year backlog for blood toxicology results: "on the average, 600 days to get that back," he said. Because prosecutors often wait for blood results to file charges, the chief warned that some arrested drivers may not face formal charges until lab results return, and that delay undermines timely consequences for repeat offenders.

Digital evidence and records workload

The department reported a large increase in digital evidence and public-disclosure requests after body-worn cameras were introduced. The records unit is managing more than 72,000 pieces of digital evidence and reported a 464% increase in digital-media requests since 2022; staff time to process requests rose sharply (the report noted roughly a threefold increase in processing time). The department processed 2,021 pieces of evidence in 2024, a 35% year-over-year increase. The chief said one staff member handled much of that evidence processing.

Community programs and partnerships

The department highlighted partnerships and community programs: two school resource officers with the Lake Stevens School District; regional work with Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces and Dawson Place for crimes against children; a marine unit and canine program; and a recently formed North Sound Police Foundation (a 501(c)(3)) to accept donations for programs such as drones and explorers. The chief said the department recovered a child-predator suspect located in Houston and is coordinating extradition.

Training, accreditation and wellness

The department said it provided more than 5,300 training hours in 2024, earned reaccreditation, and had sergeants and command staff complete a national leadership training series. An $88,000 wellness grant funded a staff wellness chair the chief said has been well used. The department also reported a $41,000 grant that funded training improvements and equipment (including red-dot sights) that improved shooting scores.

Council questions and next steps

Council members asked whether the department’s per-capita officer ratio aligns with local needs; the chief said the department is currently performing basic duties and lacks staff for proactive traffic enforcement and more in-depth investigations. Council members also asked whether the department can quantify what share of incidents involve Lake Stevens residents; the chief said that analysis would require dedicated database work and a crime analyst. Council members praised the department’s community engagement programs and urged attention to collision hot spots.

Ending note

The chief closed by asking the council for continued support for recruitment and operational resources; he said the department has a $25,000 lateral-hire bonus and is actively recruiting, including recent candidates from out of state.