Auburn police present 2024 annual report showing more use-of-force reports, pursuit uptick and staffing turnover

Commander Sean Firo, Special Services Division commander for the Auburn Police Department, told the Auburn City Council study session on April 28 that the department’s 2024 annual report shows a rise in several enforcement measures, including use-of-force reports and pursuits, while also describing how training and policy review shape responses.

The report compared 2024 with prior years and showed 249 use-of-force reports, roughly 0.3 percent of contacts, and 52 police pursuits — a 205 percent increase from 2023. Commander Firo said the increase in pursuits followed a June 2024 state initiative that relaxed prior restrictions and allowed pursuit decisions to be made locally.

The numbers matter because they reflect both how often officers deploy force and how the department balances public safety and pursuit risk. “A CAD incident is any call that gets called into our dispatch center. It is requesting an officer response,” Firo said, explaining the denominator behind several ratios the department tracks. He also told council that all use-of-force incidents are reviewed and that, as of the presentation, no incidents had been concluded to be outside policy.

Council members pressed for detail on investigations, injuries and causes. Firo said internal-investigation totals were modest compared with overall call volume: 8 internal investigations in 2024 (with 6 involving sustained findings and 10 employees implicated), and 7 supervisory investigations that produced sustained findings affecting 11 employees. He added that 3 investigations remained unresolved in the reporting period because staff separations prevented completion.

On injuries, the department reported 104 suspects and 30 officers sustaining injuries linked to force incidents in 2024. Firo said the injuries ranged from scrapes and complaints of pain to several officers who were checked in hospital evaluations; he said there were no broken bones reported in the year examined.

Pursuits and miles: Commander Myers told the council that the 52 pursuits in 2024 covered about 47.45 miles in total (an average of about 0.91 miles per pursuit), down from a 2.0-mile average in 2023 when the department largely pursued only felony suspects. He attributed the shift partly to the change in state law (implemented June 2024), which returned pursuit discretion to local chiefs and resulted in many pursuits for stolen vehicles. Myers said officers and sergeants increasingly terminated pursuits when public-risk outweighed the benefit of continuing.

Collisions and driving training: The department reported more reportable collisions in 2024 than in prior years but said many were low-speed or backing incidents that nonetheless require documentation and corrective training. The department logged 25 coaching/counselings and 9 coaching/counselings for misconduct, 5 written reprimands and 2 dismissals for misconduct-related actions in 2024. Commander Myers described the department’s Emergency Vehicle Operators Course (EVOC) and said state rules require high-speed EVOC every two years; the department also conducts extra low-speed driver training at local sites and brings officers back for re-training when performance indicates it’s needed.

Staffing and retention: Chief-level presenters told the council Auburn’s staffing remains “newer” compared with pre-2019 levels: roughly 63 percent of staff have been employed fewer than 10 years (up from 56 percent in 2020). Directors said the department’s take-home vehicle program and the recent hiring of a full-time recruitment officer have helped retention and recruitment. Ten new positions authorized in the last budget were expected to return response-time performance gains when filled.

Accountability and outside review: Firo explained the department’s internal-review pipeline: complaints go from supervisors to division commanders to the assistant chief and chief, and serious allegations meeting criminal thresholds are referred to the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) process. He said the department completes and forwards CJTC paperwork when misconduct meets disqualifying criteria; CJTC does its own certification review.

What remains outstanding: Council members requested more breakdowns (for example, by initiating event such as traffic stops, warrants, or service calls) so the city can identify patterns that might reduce escalation. The department said each use-of-force report is linked to a case number and CAD incident and that staff can supply initiating-event summaries for analysis.

The council did not take formal action at the study session. Staff said the full 2024 annual report is available in the council packet and that commanders will return with additional data on the causes of use-of-force incidents and the department’s retraining plans.

Ending: Council members thanked department presenters for the data and urged continued public reporting and follow-up analysis. The department said it will deliver supplementary materials on initiating events, training schedules and the status of the unresolved investigations to council and to the public record.