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Woodfin police chief highlights storm response, staffing gains and racial profiling data in annual report
Summary
Police Chief Boykin told the council the department weathered the storm while operating with reduced staffing, outlined recruitment and retention gains, and presented 2024 crime, clearance and traffic-stop data; chief emphasized staffing as the department's top priority for 2025.
Woodfin Police Chief Boykin presented the department's 2024 annual report to the council, highlighting the force's response to Tropical Storm Helene, crime and clearance statistics, and steps taken this year on recruitment and retention.
Boykin told the council that during the storm the department operated with roughly two-thirds of its authorized staff and cited several officers' personal sacrifices to maintain response capacity. He said calls for service rose about 11% from the three-year average and that self-initiated community outreach increased markedly in 2024.
On crime statistics, Boykin said the town recorded about 11.5 Part I crimes per 1,000 residents in 2024, lower than the North Carolina average cited on his slide deck. He also reported clearance rates above the state average and said the department is tracking response-time trends, with a goal to return closer to a 4.5-minute average.
The chief reviewed traffic-stop reporting (a state requirement for agencies serving populations over 10,000; Woodfin began voluntary reporting in 2023) and presented demographic breakdowns: 91% of traffic stops were of white individuals and his slide compared that distribution with local population figures. He said nearly three-quarters of stops resulted in warnings and that searches after stops were distributed across demographic groups in the department's data.
Boykin described department accomplishments in 2024, including salary and career-development increases that added nearly $60,000 in total between August and January to improve recruitment and retention, a first awards banquet recognizing officers, and three recent hires. He said staffing remains the top priority for 2025 and described planned recruiting efforts, campus outreach and updated job descriptions.
The chief also reported the state SBI inquiry into the department's evidence/property room remains open and that staff are working with the district attorney and judges to streamline property disposal procedures. He said the department will pursue improved records-management and CAD systems as part of a countywide procurement process that could be a multi-million-dollar investment over time.
"It is our mission to work with all citizens to preserve life, maintain human rights, protect property, and promote individual responsibility and community commitment," Boykin told the council when describing the department's guiding values.
