Newcastle police say overall crime fell in 2025 but note spikes in burglaries and two homicides
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Summary
Chief Mandela told the City Council crime in Newcastle fell about 31% in 2025 compared with 2024, but he flagged two homicides, a 61% rise in residential burglaries driven by one prolific suspect, increases in robberies measured as small‑number percentage changes, and plans for camera‑registration and block‑watch efforts.
Chief Mandela delivered the Newcastle Police Department’s year‑end report at the Feb. 17 City Council meeting, saying overall crime in 2025 fell by roughly 31% compared with 2024 while calling attention to several specific problem areas.
“By and large, crime is down 31% across the board in the city of Newcastle in 2025 since 2024,” Chief Mandela said, citing a 29% drop in crimes against persons, a 31% decline in crimes against property and a 33% drop in crimes against society. He also said the department recorded two homicide deaths in 2025, an increase from zero the prior year.
The chief cautioned that some percentage increases reflect small absolute counts. He noted residential burglaries rose to 29 in 2025 from 20 in 2024 — a 61% increase — but that nine of those crimes were attributed to a single suspect who was subsequently identified. Robberies rose from two in 2024 to three in 2025 (a 50% increase in percentage terms but a small change in raw numbers), and he said shoplifting reports numbered about 10 for 2025.
On motor‑vehicle thefts, Mandela said there were 10 cars stolen in November 2025 and that coordinated use of local camera networks and law enforcement partners led to the suspect’s arrest and a subsequent drop in thefts. He reported 53 thefts from motor vehicles for the year.
Mandela described operational numbers and response strategies: 1,589 dispatched calls for service in 2025 and more than 4,000 self‑initiated police actions. He outlined planned steps for 2026 including establishing a voluntary registry of private‑security/Ring cameras to speed evidence collection, organizing block‑watch training (targeted for early March), and seeking Washington State Patrol grant money for targeted night‑time traffic enforcement in summer months.
Council members asked about outreach and implementation. Mandela said a camera‑registry is on his table, he is scheduling block‑watch briefings and will coordinate with county partners for the Project Be Free domestic‑violence partnership and therapeutic response units the department uses.