Police chief to revise monthly report and redistrict patrol areas; department reports low use-of-force incidents
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Summary
Chief Sean King said the police department will change its monthly reporting in January to separate dispatch calls by geographic patrol areas to better reflect service demand; he also reported 12 use-of-force incidents in the prior year, seven involving non-residents.
Sean King, chief of the Westfield Police Department, told the Board of Public Works the department will change its monthly report format starting in January to better show dispatch calls for service by geographic patrol area and to support upcoming redistricting of patrol boundaries.
"One of the things that we've been working on is January 1, we're gonna start with a redistricting of our patrol areas," King said. He explained the current report aggregates all officer activity, including discretionary actions such as traffic stops, and does not clearly show where dispatch calls originate. The revised report will separate dispatch calls by geography so the city can track demand and consider patrol resourcing and boundary changes.
King also reviewed incident-level crime data and the department's use-of-force report for the prior year. He said the department logged 12 use-of-force incidents last year and that seven of those involved people from outside the community. King said the department will publish the use-of-force report on the department website and incorporate new reporting as part of its strategic plan.
The board requested additional district-by-district, year-over-year comparisons to identify pockets of concern and better inform resource allocation.
