Shelton police present 2024 annual report showing staffing gaps, rising citations and steady calls for service

Police Chief Chris Kosted presented the Shelton Police Department’s 2024 annual report at the City Council study session on March 25, summarizing crime, staffing, training and professional‑standards data for council members and staff.

The report matters because it lays out patterns the council can weigh against budget decisions, staffing and community policing priorities: the department reported operating under the adopted budget for 2024, rising arrest and citation counts compared with 2023, and an internal review of increased traffic citations issued to Hispanic residents.

Kosted said the department’s adopted budget for last year was reported in the presentation as $4,100,000,000 and that the department closed the year about $250,000 under that figure. He attributed part of the underspend to vacant positions and lower overtime costs: “we came in under budget cut over time for $46,000,” Kosted said, contrasting that with a $28,000 overtime overrun in 2023. The department recorded 12,588 calls for service in 2024 versus 13,212 the previous year.

Kosted reported 645 arrests in 2024, up from 520 in 2023, and 637 citations issued last year compared with 364 in 2023. He told the council these increases are partly linked to newer officers who are “out there constantly working” and to field‑training dynamics. Detectives handled major‑crime follow‑ups; Kosted said burglaries were up slightly but the department had no homicides in 2024.

On specialized units, Kosted said the agency participates with neighboring jurisdictions on SWAT (the department contributed at least one sergeant and added another officer to the regional team during the year) and with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force led by a larger agency. He described a multijurisdictional ICAC case resulting in warrants, evidence seizure and an arrest. He also described the K‑9 program as donation‑supported; two working dogs were due to retire and replacements were in training.

Kosted listed community programs and outreach such as the Citizens’ Academy, National Night Out (held Aug. 26 at the South [Basement] Fire in Arcadia), Shop with a Cop (28 local participants last year, plus additional participants hosted by Mason County), and story time events at the library.

The department reported receiving donations and grants totaling about $148,000 in 2024. Kosted itemized several contributors in his presentation: Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority ($20,400, described as used for cameras), Sierra Pacific Industries ($1,607, described as for wrap equipment), a CJTC award ($41,000 for reaccreditation/case equipment) and a Department of Justice award for ballistic vests (amount reported in the presentation as either $43,000 or $4,300; the transcript contained both figures). Kosted said ballistic vests are replaced on a schedule (he said “replaced every 5 years”) and that grant funds helped with replacement needs.

On professional standards and use‑of‑force metrics, Kosted said the department logged four citizen complaints in 2024: two not sustained, one sustained and one incomplete because the complainant did not cooperate. The professional‑standards report has been prepared for accreditation purposes since 2018, he said. Use‑of‑force incidents numbered 21 in 2024, an uptick but still a small fraction (he described it as around 0.1%) of the department’s calls for service.

Kosted told the council the department noted a substantial increase in traffic/penalty citations issued to Hispanic residents — from about 60 in the prior year to about 148 in 2024 — and said staff are reviewing whether the increase reflects call types, initiated activity or another cause. He also reported an increase in vehicle pursuits (from 2 in 2022, to 1 in 2023, to 5 in 2024) and linked that rise to changes in state pursuit law that reduced the legal threshold for initiating a pursuit; he emphasized that officers sometimes discontinue pursuits when they judge the risk too high.

Kosted highlighted training and accreditation work as ongoing priorities, including defensive tactics, de‑escalation and weapons training, and credited interagency training partnerships for specialized investigations. He acknowledged veterans and newer officers, named several promotions and graduations from the academy, and said the department plans continued outreach and recruitment.

Council members responded with positive remarks about officer professionalism during the public discussion portion of the meeting; one commenter said the “vast majority of the feedback I get is about the professionalism and the humanness of our officers.” Kosted and council members thanked records and professional‑standards staff for preparing the report and noted that staff would continue to analyze citation‑demographic data and pursue follow‑up reporting to the council.

The department presentation provided the council with context for budget discussions that followed later in the study session and identified areas staff will revisit with additional data, including the demographic review of citations, pursuit incidents and training needs.