Tumwater police present 2024 performance data, highlight low-level uses of force and staffing priorities

Tumwater Police Chief Mason presented the department’s Police Strategic Growth Plan and a review of 2024 performance data at the Public Health and Safety Committee meeting on June 10, describing activity levels, staffing, training and several planned programs for 2025.

The presentation summarized core numbers for 2024 and outlined near-term priorities. “Calls for service for 2024 was 19,270,” Deputy Chief Keelas said during the meeting. The department reported 628 total arrests for the year and 49 separate instances involving use of force, which the department said covered 52 individuals because three incidents involved multiple subjects.

The nut graf — why this matters: the department used the report to show how officers spent time in the community, to account for use-of-force and pursuits, and to identify staffing and technology investments that officials say are needed to meet service demands.

Key findings and context

- Staffing and hiring: Chief Mason said the department has 37 commissioned positions, two limited-commission positions and seven noncommissioned staff. In 2024 the department hired six new employees and completed 12 hiring processes; three people left (two for medical reasons and one by retirement). Detective Lieutenant Kolb described the applicant pipeline: 89 applicants went through oral boards last year, 18 backgrounds were opened and six hires resulted from the 2024 process.

- Calls and arrests: Deputy Chief Keelas presented the calls-for-service total of 19,270 and said almost half of those calls were traffic stops, officer-initiated contacts and responses to suspicious-person complaints; the department listed about 3,800 such responses as examples.

- Investigations and schools: Lieutenant Kolb said the investigations division handled 219 cases in 2024 plus 58 referrals from APS/CPS. The department also reported 410 school-initiated activities for the 2024–25 school year through May versus 53 TPD-initiated activities assigned to School Resource Officers (SROs). Kolb and Chief Mason clarified that SROs do not participate in school disciplinary proceedings but will attempt informal resolutions for noncriminal matters and must report how an incident was resolved if they are engaged.

- K-9 and narcotics detection: The presentation noted the K-9 team (Officer Grama and K-9 Thor) had 29 deployments in 2024, 83 training evolutions and five community visits. The K-9 team received state narcotics certification that allows detection of fentanyl and other controlled substances (excluding marijuana), a capability the department described as available to partner agencies countywide.

- Use of force, pursuits and complaints: Deputy Chief Gilles (presentation segment) reported 49 use-of-force instances in 2024 involving 52 people. Eighteen of those instances were recorded as “low ready” firearm draws; most incidents were categorized as low-level control tactics. The department reported that 92% of uses of force were low-ready or control tactics, with only 8% involving intermediate tactics such as strikes or taser deployment. Pursuits were limited: the department reported four pursuits in 2024 and said supervisors or officers terminated those when the perceived risk outweighed the value of continued pursuit; there were no collisions, injuries or intervention techniques reported in those pursuits. The department also reported two community complaints in 2024; both were recorded as not sustained.

- Records, public disclosure and technology: Administrative Manager Laura Woll reported that the department handled roughly 84% of the city’s public-disclosure requests and processed 1,567 requests in 2024. The department explained video requests increasingly drive workload because requesters commonly ask for police video and other third-party footage that must be reviewed and redacted. The city signed a records-management-system contract in fall 2024 with 365 Labs; the department is building the system and aims to go live in early 2027. Officials also said they are implementing body-worn cameras and creating an administrative sergeant position (targeted for July 1), a front-office manager and an IT position to support these efforts.

- Outreach, training and partnerships: The department highlighted growth in social media, a continuing weekly chief’s message, community events (National Night Out, parades, Brewfest) and a business welcome program that assigns detectives to newly licensed physical businesses. The department also described partnerships in research and training, including work with the Garvey Institute on responses to people with memory-related conditions and Dr. Bowers’ regional crime-analysis work.

Committee discussion and next steps

Committee members asked for follow-up details on long-running code-enforcement properties (Chief Mason said many complex cases remain in process and that bridal Road had made progress), for calendars or year-end updates on those properties, and for analytics on the police communications plan. Council members discussed using committee channels to notify the department of community events so officers can attend for outreach. Chief Mason asked the council to email event information to him and Detective Lieutenant Kolb for coordination.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve Public Health and Safety Committee meeting minutes for 05/13/2025: moved by an unidentified council member during the meeting, second indicated; vote recorded as unanimous (ayes). No other formal motions or votes were reported during this presentation.

Ending

Committee members thanked the department for providing data in advance of the meeting. Chief Mason closed the presentation, and the committee adjourned at about 9:02 a.m.