Denton Police report 2024: recruitment gains, fewer traffic fatalities, new tech pilot

Deputy Chief Derek Bradford presented the Denton Police Department's 2024 annual report to City Council on April 1, outlining staffing and recruitment efforts, community engagement initiatives, and operational data.

Bradford said the department expanded recruitment efforts by creating a 16-member auxiliary recruiter team to supplement a dedicated sergeant and two officers; he attributed record civil-service test participation to that outreach. The department also revamped its peer-support program, held an open house for potential recruits and graduated a Basic Peace Officer Course (BPOC) class. "We set up a team of 16 officers…to go out and reach out to different places," Bradford said, and described last year's outreach as "very successful."

Traffic and enforcement data: Bradford reported eight fatal traffic accidents in 2024, a 50% decrease from 2023. The presentation included enforcement totals (a slide referenced 884 DWI arrests) and statistics for calls-for-service and officer-initiated activity. Bradford said some decreases in dispatched calls reflect operational vetting changes that reduced nonessential call entries and that the department had built efficiencies in dispatch procedures.

Programs and technology: The department described several ongoing initiatives for 2025: pursuing accreditation through the Texas Police Chiefs Association; expanding leadership-development and succession programs; increasing community engagement via quarterly town halls; and installing additional public-safety cameras. Bradford also described an early-stage pilot of Draft1 (Axon’s AI-powered drafting tool) for officers’ narratives. "We've launched Draft1…officers who are engaging it are saving hours by utilizing that AI draft software," Bradford said, adding the department is observing time savings and officer acceptance in the first month.

Community matters and budgeting: Bradford said the department updated its towing ordinance with council support, restarted quarterly chief advisory meetings, and hosted outreach events including Police Academy family night. Council members asked for more year-over-year context in future reports (slide-level comparisons were requested) and for follow-up on Draft1’s results and community reception. Bradford said the draft scribe may reduce report-writing time by roughly 30% per Axon’s benchmarks and described generally positive officer feedback to date.

Staffing and gaps: Council asked about staffing shortfalls. Bradford said the department needed 27 positions to be fully staffed at the time of the meeting and that auxiliary recruiting efforts were increasing applicant flow. Several council members thanked the department for peer-support and outreach work; others asked for more details on response times, after-hours coverage and camera funding. Bradford said existing camera investments were in place and that some additional components come through the department’s Axon/evidence contracts.

Ending: Bradford closed by pointing to the department’s online dashboard and offered to return with requested data on year-over-year trend lines, Draft1 usage metrics and camera funding. The briefing did not request any formal council action.

Provenance: The police presentation began when Deputy Chief Bradford opened his report (topicintro) and concluded with council questions and Bradford’s offer to provide follow-up briefing materials (topicfinish).