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Civilian police auditor’s 2024 annual report finds most force incidents involved crisis conditions; recommends de-escalation training and better crisis-response
Summary
The civilian police auditor told the Olympia City Council that use-of-force incidents rose 46% in 2024, and that 74% of those cases involved people who appeared to be in crisis due to mental illness or drugs/alcohol.
The city’s civilian police auditor presented the 2024 annual report to the Olympia City Council, reviewing use-of-force incidents, misconduct complaints and recommendations to improve crisis response.
Tara Parker, the civilian police auditor, said use of force incidents rose from 52 in 2023 to 76 in 2024 — a 46% increase — and that a large share of those incidents involved people who “appeared to be mentally ill and or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” Parker said 74 percent of the 2024 use-of-force incidents involved such crisis conditions and that many subjects did not respond to de‑escalation efforts captured on body-worn camera.
Deputy Chief Shelby Parker (Olympia Police Department) provided staffing and crime statistics, noting the…
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