Police Chief Jamie McDonald told the Tigard City Council on May 20 that overall person crime in Tigard was down about 15% year‑over‑year and property crime down about 3%, but domestic‑violence incidents have risen "considerably." He said the department is monitoring that trend and does not yet have a definitive explanation.

McDonald said calls for service are nearly flat year‑over‑year — up about 0.92% — while self‑initiated activity by officers rose about 19%, driven by traffic enforcement, business checks and other proactive patrols. "Self‑initiated activity is when our officers have time to go and do things proactively," McDonald said, noting the department sees many complaints about drivers cutting through neighborhoods and aggressive driving.

The chief described traffic enforcement as a continuing local concern and said the department already publicizes enforcement missions in advance on social media and with regional partners. He told council members he can add monthly traffic‑stop summary data to the city’s strategic dashboard, including the reasons for stops and whether citations or warnings were issued; the department reports stop data to the state each month.

Councilors asked whether the city should pair a public‑education campaign with targeted enforcement. McDonald said Tigard already coordinates many traffic missions with ODOT and federal pass‑through grants, and he welcomed council participation in spreading messaging about focused enforcement weeks.

On domestic violence, McDonald and councilors discussed whether higher numbers reflect increased incidence or improved reporting. Councilor Gaudisi and others noted Family Justice Center outreach and said increased reporting is a plausible partial explanation. "It could very well be the case," McDonald said, but added he was not ready to say reporting alone explained the rise.

Councilors also asked about recent jumps in drug‑offense percentages. McDonald said a statutory change last September altered reporting and enforcement categories, producing an artificial percentage increase; he recommended waiting a full year of data before drawing conclusions.

On organized retail theft, McDonald said Washington County and the district attorney are conducting enforcement missions that have produced multiple arrests. He described some incidents as "brazen," with people loading armfuls of merchandise and walking out of stores.

Councilors requested ongoing traffic summaries, data to support neighborhood conversations, and coordination on public‑awareness campaigns for driver safety ahead of the summer months. McDonald agreed to add stop data and context to the dashboard starting next month.