Civilian police auditor and Olympia Police Department present 2024 report: use‑of‑force rises; most incidents involve crisis conditions

The Olympia Police Department and the civilian police auditor presented the 2024 annual report and departmental year‑end data to the City Council. Deputy Chief Shelby Parker and civilian auditor Tara Parker reviewed staffing, crime statistics, community response activity, use‑of‑force incidents and misconduct complaints.

Staffing and workload: Deputy Chief Parker said the department closed 2024 with 106 staff (71 commissioned officers and 35 civilian personnel), 27 volunteers, three canine units and several vacancies (six officer vacancies and two civilian vacancies). Officers and staff fulfilled 4,145 public disclosure requests, wrote nearly 7,000 incident reports, handled almost 55,000 calls for service and supported more than 200 community engagement activities.

Crime trends and enforcement: Parker reported reductions in certain property crimes, including a meaningful drop in auto thefts in 2024 (215 incidents), which the department attributed in part to Flock camera usage; robberies declined; felony assaults rose compared with 2023 but remained near 2022 levels. Residential burglary declines and the relationship to domestic‑violence‑related incidents were discussed.

Crisis response and Crew: The department summarized contacts by the Crisis Response Unit (Crew). Crew was dispatched most often through Thurston 9‑1‑1 (TCOM), and 71% of Crew engagements were conducted by the crew alone (29% as co‑response with officers). The department is piloting a proactive policing unit in mid‑2025 focused on regional crime trends.

Use of force: Deputy Chief Parker said reported uses of force increased to 76 incidents in 2024 (from 52 in 2023). Most uses of force were takedowns (the lowest level of force); 7 incidents involved electronic control devices (tasers), 4 involved defensive punches or knee strikes, 3 involved control holds for handcuffing, one incident involved drawing a duty weapon and one involved less‑lethal munitions. Parker stated that 13 incidents resulted in minor injuries (cuts/abrasions), all medically treated, and zero incidents resulted in substantial or great bodily harm.

Auditor findings and recommendations: Civilian Police Auditor Tara Parker reviewed audits of use‑of‑force files and misconduct complaints. She confirmed the majority of force incidents used takedowns and that multilevel internal reviews and auditor audits found officer conduct met departmental standards in the audited files. The auditor noted a 46% year‑to‑year increase in reported use‑of‑force incidents (52 in 2023 vs. 76 in 2024) and observed that 74% of the 2024 incidents involved subjects appearing to be in crisis (mental‑health symptoms, and/or under the influence of drugs or alcohol) and many did not respond to de‑escalation efforts. The auditor recommended continued and enhanced de‑escalation training with specific attention to juvenile encounters and improved documentation and tracking of crisis responder involvement in police reports and the planned records management system.

Misconduct complaints: There were 14 misconduct complaint files in 2024; 13 were resolved with findings that met department standards and one resulted in a sustained finding of inadequate performance addressed with training. Body‑worn camera footage played a central role in reviewing complaints and use‑of‑force incidents, allowing disproval of some allegations and enhancing transparency, the auditor said.

Council questions and next steps: Council members asked detailed questions about demographics (race, age), sexual‑assault reporting and case clearance rates and whether disability or separate drivers (substance use vs. mental‑health crisis) are tracked distinctly. Staff and the auditor said some distinctions are not consistently recorded in current reports; the department said it has improved supervisor documentation and plans for a records management system change to make crisis‑responder involvement a mandatory field. The council and auditor emphasized continuing focus on de‑escalation training, data improvements and interagency coordination with crisis responder partners.

Ending: The 2024 audit and OPD year‑end briefing highlighted an increase in use‑of‑force incidents concentrated in crisis situations and recommended targeted training and improved tracking of crisis responder participation; no council action was required on the briefing.