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Sunbury police present 2024-25 review: patrol statistics, SRO program, drone and investigations updates
Summary
Deputy Chief and department sergeants briefed council on 2024 patrol statistics and program highlights including a stronger SRO presence in schools, an expanded drone program with documented rescues, and investigative workload from the detectives’ bureau.
Sunbury police leaders presented a year-in-review to City Council Wednesday, reporting changes in patrol activity, school-resource officer (SRO) work, drone operations and detective bureau activity.
Deputy Chief Wade introduced sergeants and officers who gave detailed briefings. Sergeant Chris Meacham reviewed patrol activity and staffing patterns and said the department reduced overtime hours in 2024 despite multiple officers being on extended medical leave. Meacham reported 1,235 traffic stops in 2024, up from 1,033 in 2023, and cited a decrease in reported traffic accidents compared with the prior year. The patrol report emphasized enforcement and community engagement as tools to reduce collisions.
School-resource Officer Justin Whiteside described SRO activity at Sunbury schools during the 2023–24 and 2024–25 school years, including classroom lessons on internet safety, Halloween safety and drug education, logs of incident entries and plans to expand SRO coverage to all seven schools within Sunbury’s city limits. Whiteside said the program prioritizes classroom instruction and community-building activities that keep officers visible to students.
Officer Ramirez and Sergeant Meacham presented the department’s drone program. Ramirez said the department’s N30 thermal drone was deployed 33 times over the past year and an interior (smaller) drone was deployed three times; the team credited three life-saving responses to drone deployments. Ramirez also said the drone team logged roughly 42 combined flight hours and covered about 259 miles across sorties; the department plans to add two additional certified pilots in 2025 and to seek funding for a second interior drone.
Director (Detective) Smith outlined investigative work by the detective bureau and the department’s participation in the Delaware County Drug Task Force. Smith said detectives handle felony-level investigations and complex digital evidence work that can produce large data productions (for example, multiple carrier records tied to phones), requiring substantive desk time to review subpoenas, warrants and returned data before prosecution referral. Smith also highlighted outreach activities such as school safety presentations and public education about scams and fraud.
Council members praised the department’s community engagement, SRO relationships with students, the drone team’s operational flexibility and the stability in officer tenure over recent years. No formal council action was taken; the presentations were information items and will be the basis for future budget and program discussions.
Why it matters: the briefings detail operational changes and equipment investments that affect public safety, school safety, and emergency response capacity in Sunbury. Drone life-saves and planned expansions may be of particular public interest.
Next steps: council said it will continue to work with department leadership on training, equipment funding and traffic/school-zone safety issues raised during committee discussion.
