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Seaside police report: calls steady, mental‑health and homelessness contacts up; deflection program shows early progress
Summary
Seaside Police Department presented 2024 statistics showing high shares of mental-health and homelessness-related contacts, a small decrease in overall use-of-force incidents, flat crime numbers and growing dispatch workload; officials reported the county deflection program enrollment and early graduations.
The Seaside Police Department presented its 2024 annual report to the city council, highlighting that roughly a quarter of calls for service involved homelessness, mental‑health or related contacts and that the department’s time and patrol resources continue to be absorbed by those needs.
Chiefs and staff reported a total of 9,368 calls for service in 2024. “About 25% of those calls were dealing with either a homeless or mental health … type of contact,” the chief said, adding that those contacts “are keeping us pretty busy.” Traffic stops decreased slightly while traffic crashes rose, a pattern the chief tied to resource allocation and the need for more visible enforcement.
Use‑of‑force incidents for the year were lower than typical—historically the department averages roughly 80 use‑of‑force incidents but reported fewer in 2024. Crime categories overall, including assaults and thefts, showed small declines; the chief suggested staffing levels and deployment choices influence those numbers and noted the city’s transition to NIBRS reporting for online state data.
Dispatch and fire‑service workloads rose modestly; dispatch numbers reflected a post‑COVID normalization while fire calls showed a multi‑year upward trend. Staff described investments in a remodeled dispatch center with additional workstations and new equipment to handle major events and growth.
On new and ongoing programs, police described progress on a local deflection program for low‑level offenders with substance‑use and behavioral-health needs. City and county partners reported 24 clients had entered the program and multiple graduations; Seaside and the county were among the leading referrers. Officers and partners meet twice weekly to manage cases and coordinate services, and officials praised cross‑agency collaboration in making the program work locally.
Staffing updates included recent academy graduations, a new officer posting and ongoing recruitment for dispatched and records positions. The department also reported evidence‑room inventory work and a CIS best‑practices review that scored the department in the high‑80s (out of 100) with suggestions for “low‑hanging fruit” improvements.
Why it matters: The high share of mental‑health and homelessness contacts continues to shape patrol priorities and resource allocation, prompting council members to press for continued investment in diversion and cross‑agency responses that reduce repeated patrol demands and improve outcomes.
Next steps: Staff will continue recruitment efforts, implement remaining CIS recommendations, deploy the CAT RMS records upgrade in coordination with regional partners, and track deflection program outcomes as the county program expands.
