Chief Padilla of the Kent Police Department reported to the City Council on Jan. 21 that the department recorded 11 homicides in 2024, down from 16 in 2023, and that detectives have solved nine of this year’s cases — an 81% clearance rate.

The chief told the council those figures represent a 31% year-over-year decline and are well above the national homicide clearance average he cited. “If you commit a violent crime in Kent, we have really good tools that at our disposal to try and solve the case and bring you to justice,” Chief Padilla said, noting investments the council approved in video and analytic technology.

The report included a case breakdown: one homicide related to domestic violence; two that began as fights or assaults; three tied to drug trafficking; one robbery with alleged gang ties; two that began as bar fights and escalated to shootings; and one road-rage-related shooting. Chief Padilla said eight of the homicides involved firearms and two were physical assaults. He said roughly 36% of offenders were youth, with the youngest offenders aged 15 and the youngest victim 13.

“Of the 11 that we had this year, nine are solved, which is an 81% clearance rate,” Padilla said. He added two cases remain active and investigators have “very strong leads.”

Council members asked follow-up questions. Council member Michaud asked whether an earlier homicide near Campus Park had led to an arrest; Padilla said that case was a drug-trafficking incident in which police did make an arrest. Council member Blay asked what the department credits for the drop in crime; Padilla attributed it to filling investigative vacancies, new technology and some regulatory changes that he said have allowed officers to work more effectively.

Padilla outlined staffing and operational changes the department plans for 2025. He said the council-approved budget includes four new sergeant positions (two to allow two sergeants on 24/7 shifts), a corrections sergeant, and other hires to backfill recent retirements and vacancies. He reported four retirements at the end of 2024, three additional vacancies supplied by the budget cycle and being “down 5 corrections officers.” He also said the department remains below recommended staffing levels for a city Kent’s size, estimating it is “probably 35 to 45 officers” short compared with comparable departments.

On technology, Padilla said the department will deploy fleet (dash) cameras and integrate automatic license-plate readers (ALPRs) with the region’s networked Flock Safety cameras. He described the equipment as tools for evidence recovery and officer safety, and said the rollout requires negotiation with the police union: “we’re currently working with the union to negotiate the contract language for it.” Padilla also said the department will bring a new records-management system online for the police and jail to improve data capture and analysis.

Padilla said the department plans to expand proactive preventative patrols, bolster its crime-reduction unit so it is “fully operational this year,” and broaden use of specialized units such as narcotics response, traffic and community units as vacancies are filled. He described these changes as contingent on staffing: “all of that hinges greatly on our ability to keep our staffing flush.”

The chief also announced that a multi-episode streaming docuseries that filmed with the department will begin streaming Jan. 23 on the CW app and cwtv.com, with several episodes featuring Kent officers.

The presentation closed with Padilla thanking officers and detectives for preserving crime scenes and pursuing leads, and he invited council questions.

Ending: The council took no formal vote on the police recommendations at the meeting; chief and council members indicated several items (fleet camera deployment, staffing additions and the records system) will proceed through separate contract, hiring and labor-negotiation processes before they take effect.