Coos Bay police report lower crime counts in 2024 as dispatch center absorbs county calls

Coos Bay Police Chief Chris Chapinar told the City Council that the department and the city’s North Coos 9-1-1 center handled more than 108,000 dispatch calls in 2024 after the center began serving the entire county, and that on the law-enforcement side the department responded to 35,377 calls for service in the city last year.

Chapinar, presenting a slide deck to the council, said the department recorded 1,281 arrests, 4,146 traffic stops and 69 search warrants in 2024, and that thefts (428), burglaries (82) and vehicle thefts (62) all declined from the previous year. He also reported a drop in overdose responses from a peak in 2023: “We peaked last year at 76. In 2024 we had 29 overdoses,” Chapinar said.

The chief described an organizational change implemented in September 2024 that merged dispatch for multiple county law-enforcement agencies and 15 fire agencies into North Coos 9-1-1 and created a communications-administration position. “We merged essentially nine law enforcement agencies and 15 fire agencies through our dispatch center,” he said. Chapinar added that the dispatch remodel completed earlier in the year expanded consoles to six, with another console planned.

Nut graf: The presentation framed 2024 as a year of consolidation for public safety communications in Coos County while noting ongoing staffing shortages in both patrol and dispatch. Chapinar cautioned that some trends, such as decreased crime statistics, relate to broader criminal-justice system conditions in previous years.

Chapinar and councilors discussed drivers of year-to-year change. The chief said 2023 was an anomaly in part because of the local jail’s limited operation that year and that a functioning jail affects arrest and case numbers. He also noted several contributing factors to fewer overdoses in 2024, including broader availability of naloxone and changes in law enforcement approaches.

The chief described the department’s staffing as below the “fully staffed” organizational chart used in planning: the ideal structure includes 24 sworn officers (chief, two captains, four sergeants, 12 patrol officers), three detectives, a community resource officer and a school resource officer. Chapinar said the community resource officer position is not currently staffed because of recruitment shortfalls.

Chapinar highlighted new public-access reporting tools and public-information efforts. He said the department implemented an online reporting system, PD Connect, to allow residents to submit nonemergency reports, and has begun deploying a public information officer team for major investigations.

Councilors praised the presentation and asked the chief to continue updating the council as staffing, jail capacity and regional partnerships evolve. Chapinar said he is “hopeful” the department is headed in the right direction but reiterated that results depend in part on the broader criminal justice system and jail capacity.

Ending: The chief said he will return with future updates as staffing and dispatch expansions continue; the council offered thanks for the multi-year data and encouraged continued public outreach about PD Connect.