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Newcastle police report shows declines in several property-crime categories in 2024; department highlights community programs
Summary
Police Chief presented quarterly data to the council showing reductions in some crime categories and described community outreach and enforcement efforts, including Flock camera assistance and a $3,000 speed‑enforcement equipment grant.
The Newcastle Police Department told the City Council on Feb. 18 that several measured crime categories fell in 2024 compared with recent years, while the department described outreach, training and investigative efforts carried out in the fourth quarter.
Chief’s summary and key statistics Chief Kudji Hero presented quarterly and annual statistics compiled with a crime analyst from the King County Sheriff's Office. He reported a decline in “crimes against property” to 381 total reported incidents in 2024 — the lowest count since the department began the current reporting snapshot — and noted vehicle thefts declined from 84 in 2023 to 62 in 2024. Chief Kudji Hero: “We worked hard on doing area checks and patrols to see if we can get that down… vehicle thefts, we brought it down to 62.”
Additional data points cited by the chief and analyst included: - Crimes against persons: down to 50 in 2024 (from 60 in 2022 and 53 in 2023). - Burglaries (combined commercial and residential): 35 in 2024 (18 residential, 17 commercial). - Shoplifting reports increased in part because retail reporting rose; larceny and auto‑part theft figures were reported separately. - Overall dispatch calls for service in 2024 were 1,746.
Investigations, partnerships and tools Detective Corey Martin described investigative follow-ups in the quarter, including domestic‑violence and property cases; he said some matters resulted in searches and property recovery and that Project BFree (a community resource) was offered in several domestic‑violence cases. Detective Corey Martin: “Overall, domestic violence was up for the fourth quarter in the city. Some of the cases were filed by patrol deputies as well as major crimes detectives.”
Crime analyst Gloria (last name not provided) and staff credited Flock camera footage with assisting in several car-theft and burglary identifications and interagency investigations. Gloria said she uses the Flock platform daily to support local and regional cases. Gloria (crime analyst): “I use it daily, not only to support Newcastle, but to support other agencies… We helped solve the burglaries at the reserve.”
Community policing and outreach The department highlighted community events and outreach programs held in the quarter, including "Battle of the Badges" and a "Sundays with a Cop" event scheduled for March 9. The department also said it received a $3,000 grant to purchase lighter equipment for speed enforcement.
Council questions and next steps Councilmembers asked for longer trend windows and statistical context; the crime analyst said staff run three‑year snapshots but can explore weighted thresholds to indicate when changes are statistically unusual for Newcastle. Council also asked about Flock camera counts and staffing; the chief said the department had six Flock cameras in place and the patrol unit was operating with four vacancies at the time of the report.
Ending note The department asked residents to attend community events and said it would continue coordination with King County and regional partners on investigations and prevention work.
