Snoqualmie police present 2024 annual report; staffing restored, some crime categories down, mental‑health hire planned

At a special joint meeting of the City of Snoqualmie Public Safety Committee and the North Bend Public Health and Safety Committee, interim police leadership presented the Snoqualmie Police Department’s 2024 annual report and discussed staffing, crime trends and planned hires.

The report, delivered by the interim chief, said the department had fully staffed its patrol unit after losing seven officers in 2024 and credited improved visibility and a new North Bend substation with reductions in several property-related crimes. The department also reported a 62% drop in uses of force, and announced that recruitment for a vacant mental‑health professional position is scheduled to begin this week.

The report matters because the two neighboring cities share police services and public‑safety resources; officials said coordinated quarterly meetings and joint public information would help keep both communities informed. Interim chief Reisi said the department is focused on “transparency, accountability, and service to excellence” and on maintaining response times and community programs while filling specialized roles.

Key figures and trends - The department reported responding to 11,861 calls for service, filing 2,351 case reports, making 2,007 traffic stops, 786 arrests and issuing 537 infractions in 2024. The two cities’ combined population was stated as roughly 21,518. - Shoplifting fell: Snoqualmie incidents declined from 30 to 21; North Bend fell from 133 to 82. - Burglaries declined: Snoqualmie 24 to 10; North Bend 38 to 28. - Vehicle thefts declined: Snoqualmie 17 to 11; North Bend 19 to 14. - Uses of force totaled 14 in 2024, a 62% reduction from 2023; the chief attributed part of that to expanded training. - Collision reports increased in part because the department lowered its reporting damage threshold to capture collisions with at least $750 of estimated damage.

What department leaders credited for changes Interim chief Reisi attributed declines in many categories to increased officer visibility, a reorganization that added an administration sergeant to free patrol sergeants for road duty, the opening of a North Bend substation near the outlet mall and changes in pursuit policy implemented in June that the chief said made it easier to pursue suspects under defined conditions.

On training, the interim chief said the department sent every officer to 40‑hour crisis intervention training in 2024. “Visibility is a huge thing for us,” Reisi said, and added that de‑escalation training and state patrol tactics courses helped reduce uses of force.

Administrative operations and evidence The report described administrative workloads: the police department handled 586 public‑records requests in 2024, and processed 107 new concealed‑weapon permit applications and 116 renewals. Evidence intake rose in 2024, a fluctuation the chief tied to case‑dependent bookings and recovered property.

Mental‑health professional and related services The department described the mental‑health professional role as a state‑rare position that helps people in crisis, connects them to hospital or recovery navigator programs, and assists families. Recruitment for that position was described as starting this week; the chief said the department will be selective to find a candidate “that fits our community.” In the interim, the department continues to rely on partner resources including the mobile crisis team and recovery navigators.

Community engagement and 2025 goals Officials highlighted community programs — National Night Out, railroad days, Festival on Mount Si, outreach with Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank and youth safety programs in partnership with local businesses and fire departments — as part of community‑policing work that supports crime prevention.

Planned 2025 work items included department remodels, adding more in‑house instructors for defensive tactics and firearms, fleet upgrades and interlocal jail agreements (the department said it is finalizing a renewal with Sunnyside and exploring uses of Yakima Jail to manage transport costs). The department also plans to upgrade its Taser platform and add a domestic‑violence advocate similar to North Bend’s contract.

Regional coordination and next steps City leaders from both Snoqualmie and North Bend said they plan quarterly joint meetings to coordinate public information and ordinances and to give oversight to shared services. Several elected officials urged public messaging about domestic‑violence resources and said a Valley health provider — identified in the meeting as Catherine Thomas — expects to roll out services by midyear including resources funded by grant support for domestic‑violence response.

Quotes from officials "This is a good first step in what we hope to do," Rob Watt said of the joint committee meetings, urging more ride‑along opportunities for elected officials. Susan Torgerson, an alternate on North Bend’s committee, said she is “very supportive” of full crisis‑intervention training for officers.

Meeting context and process notes The presentation was made during a scheduled joint committee meeting. No formal votes or ordinances were taken at this session; the item was an informational annual report followed by committee discussion and direction to proceed with recruitment and continued intercity coordination.

What remains open Officials asked for future breakdowns of administrative statistics by city where feasible; the interim chief said separating some records statistics by city is difficult because some requests are not case‑specific. Officials also asked for continued updates on domestic‑violence education, and the department said it will continue outreach and report back in future joint meetings.

Ending Committee chairs and mayors closed the meeting with agreement to continue quarterly joint sessions and to use combined public information to highlight safety improvements and available resources.