Scottsbluff police cite staffing increases, STEP grant and technology gains in 2024 report

The Scottsbluff Police Department presented its 2024 annual report to the council, summarizing staffing, program activity, crime trends and technology investments.

Key takeaways: The department said it expanded its STEP traffic-enforcement grant activity (staff cited an approximate $120,000 STEP award), added two new license-plate reader (LPR) devices (including one portable unit), completed a full implementation of e-citations in April 2024 and continued to invest in canine, reconstruction and training resources.

Chief Brett (presenting) told the council the department has worked to rebuild community trust after recent personnel issues and has increased community engagement events, such as Shop with a Cop and Coffee with a Cop. He said the department’s average officer experience decreased as new officers were hired, but added that improved staffing redistributed workload and reduced the per-officer report burden. The report showed non-injury traffic crashes dropped substantially year-over-year; thefts and burglaries also fell, while arson arrests increased in 2024.

The department highlighted partnerships and grants that enabled programming for schools, SRO activity and victim services. Staff noted a domestic-violence advocate embedded with the department has assisted dozens of victims and logged more than 1,500 services, improving referrals and follow-up. The department also described expanded LPR use to help solve vehicle-related crimes and said its portable unit helps target problem locations.

What’s next: Council members asked about equipment upgrades and long-term staffing. Staff said reconstruction equipment and upgraded in-car laptops (to replace aging tablets) are under consideration and that grant funding will be used where possible to offset capital costs.