Des Moines police present crime data, animal‑control options and staffing shortfalls

Des Moines police briefed the City Council on crime trends, staffing and animal‑control options during the Sept. 25 meeting, reporting reductions in some offenses in 2024 but noting statewide trends that lag national patterns and persistent local staffing shortfalls.

Police presentation: The department walked council through the statewide Crimes in Washington reporting system and changes from the older summary reporting to the more detailed NIBRS format. The chief said NIBRS yields richer data but complicates historical comparisons; Washington’s violent‑crime trend since 2019 differs from the national picture, and the state has a higher percentage increase in violent crime over that window than the national average.

Local trends and staffing: Des Moines reported an 11% reduction in Part A crimes in 2024, a 46% reduction in auto theft and declines in burglary and weapons offenses, which the chief attributed in part to enforcement tools and new programs. The department also reported an increase in simple assault and drug violations; the latter reflects legislative and enforcement‑practice changes that expanded reportable drug‑violation arrests. The department currently staffs about 1.08 officers per 1,000 residents, below the Washington average of about 1.3 officers per 1,000; chief noted raising staff to the state average would require roughly seven additional officers and that a workload assessment (a more robust staffing tool than officers‑per‑1,000) would likely show a still larger need.

Redondo emphasis and enforcement: The department described a Redondo summer enforcement emphasis that logged 667 dedicated officer hours, 103 moving/collision enforcement tickets, 365 parking infractions and other actions. Council members from Redondo thanked staff for attention and asked for clarity on planned traffic calming measures (speed bumps were mentioned) and timelines.

Animal control options: The chief reviewed the city’s recent history of animal control: a long‑serving in‑house officer retired in 2019; the city contracted with CARES for services including criminal investigations and sheltering; and the 2025 budget reductions reduced that contract to a limited arrangement (five criminal responses per month at a base budget with an hourly overage charge). Staff presented three broad options: (1) reinstate a full contract with a regional provider (King County Regional Animal Control) — estimated at about $245,000 annually; (2) a hybrid model with an in‑house officer plus a contracted 24/7 response and a separate sheltering agreement (staff cautioned that current regional shelter capacity is limited); and (3) maintain the current constrained contract, funded at a lower level. Staff also indicated DocuPet and other licensing drives could generate roughly $40,000 in additional revenue if the community commits to improved licensing compliance.

Traffic and speed cameras: Officers reported success with automated speed enforcement in reducing violations where cameras operate. A projection prepared earlier this year estimated a Woodmont Elementary school‑zone camera could have produced significant revenue under a no‑compliance baseline but warned revenues fall sharply as drivers adjust; the vendor's conservative revenue realization typically assumes only a fraction of the initial study estimate will materialize once enforcement and signage reduce violations.

Costs and training mandates: Staff warned that recent state bills attach administrative and training requirements to any public safety sales tax adoption and that accepting the tax could open eligibility for some state grants (including officer seeding funds). The department also described costs associated with mandated reporting and new standardized use‑of‑force data systems that would require staff time and potential software costs.

Why it matters: The briefing framed a set of near‑term decisions for council, including whether to pursue revenue measures to restore staffing and animal control capacity and how to balance enforcement, community outreach and contracted services.

Ending: Council asked staff for more detailed workload and cost estimates and requested that options be returned with clear budgets and implementation timelines for council consideration.