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Newport police outline staffing, training and community outreach; cite overtime and storage as top challenges
Summary
Lieutenant Tyson Hanes presented an overview of the Newport Police Department including staffing levels, training requirements, crime and traffic trends, community outreach programs and operational challenges such as staffing shortages, overtime and limited on-site secure storage.
Lieutenant Tyson Hanes of the Newport Police Department gave a roughly 20-minute overview of department operations during a City Council work session, saying the department is short-staffed, is investing in training and community outreach, and is grappling with overtime and space constraints.
Hanes told the council that the department’s authorized staffing includes one chief, two lieutenants, 12 patrol officers (the department currently has nine), four patrol sergeants (three currently filled), two detectives (one vacancy), two police canines and several civilian support positions including parking enforcement. He said officers average about 10 to 20 hours of overtime per month and that training plus court obligations contribute to overtime needs.
The presentation noted the department’s field-training evaluation program (FTEP) is a structured 17-week program and that academy attendance adds roughly 16 weeks; Hanes said, “It’s going to be 8 months before they’re really ... out and be on the road. It actually takes almost 2 years for them to be proficient.” Training requirements set by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) were summarized — the department requires annual firearms and use-of-force training, ethics training, CPR and other mandated refreshers — and Hanes said the department typically exceeds minimum requirements.
Hanes described recent operational trends: calls for service were slightly down year over year while arrests and DUI arrests were up, a pattern the department attributes in part to more proactive patrols and more officers on the street in 2024 than 2023. On drug enforcement, Hanes said the department’s canines are certified for fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and amphetamines and that they now detect “pretty much everything but marijuana now.”
Community outreach was highlighted as a department priority: programs listed included Shop with a Cop, Coffee with a Cop, Special Olympics participation, child car-seat checks, helmet giveaways, water-safety events in partnership with the Oregon Marine Board and a variety of community visits and public events. Hanes said the department recently began a drone program and is exploring Axon virtual training and a peer-support program for officer wellness.
Hanes also identified operational challenges: recruiting and retention; overtime and burnout; an accelerating need for IT support as patrol vehicles and records systems become increasingly digital; and constrained secure on-site storage for evidence, bikes and other gear. He said the department spent about $60,000 in 2024 on removing refuse from abandoned vehicles, unlawful camps and RV abatements and that larger cleanups sometimes require hiring outside contractors.
Councilors asked questions about jurisdiction, training content and social media coordination; council members expressed appreciation for the presentation and asked staff to continue work on IT and interdepartmental communications. No formal council action or vote was taken on the presentation.
