Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Police report declines in reported crime; mental-health clinicians handle 80% of crisis calls
Summary
Police Chief Greg Terry told councilors that reported crime declined in 2024 and that the department’s focused strategies — including a deterrent program for gun and gang violence and a dedicated retail‑theft detail — contributed to reductions. He said mental‑health clinicians working in dispatch handled about 80% of crisis calls in recent years,
Police Chief Greg Terry told the Bakersfield City Council on May 5 that reported crime declined in 2024 and the department attributes the improvement to data‑driven deployment, community partnerships and focused deterrent strategies aimed at gun and gang violence.
Terry said the department completed its first full year under NIBRS reporting and that some statistical corrections reduced previously reported counts, but he also credited proactive policing, detectives and community programs for declines in homicides, nonfatal shootings and organized retail theft.
The chief highlighted the department’s work on mental‑health response: three clinicians are co‑located with dispatch and provide triage seven days a week for 12–16 hours per day; over…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
