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Ellensburg police chief reports staffing churn, declines in some calls and concern about suicide deaths
Summary
Chief Ken Wade presented the Ellensburg Police Department's 2025 annual report, noting staff turnover, fewer overall calls and collisions but an increase in suicide deaths to six; he described ongoing programs (drone and ALPR use, Handle With Care, youth referrals) and the department's technology and staffing priorities.
Ken Wade, chief of the Ellensburg Police Department, told the City Council that 2025 saw six separations from the department and five new patrol hires, leaving two vacancies and three detectives positions unfilled. "We had 6 total separations," Wade said, adding that several officers moved to neighboring agencies attracted by hiring bonuses.
Wade said the department recorded 4,481 calls for service in 2025, a roughly 10% drop from the previous year, and 662 collisions, down about 3%. He described continued emphasis on crime prevention, community partnerships, and data-driven policing, and said the department expects new tools such as the Peregrine platform to improve reporting and data queries.
On public-health-related contacts Wade highlighted mixed trends: total mental-health referrals declined 21% from the previous year to 392, but officers reported more suicide attempts and six suicide deaths in 2025. "Since 2020, we've normally averaged about one suicide death a year. Last year, we experienced six," he said, urging continued investment in mental-health resources.
Wade reviewed public-safety programs: the school resource officer assignment, the Handle With Care referral program for children exposed to traumatic events, graffiti abatement and community outreach. He described evidence-gathering technologies, saying the ALPR system and a 13-camera contract were valuable for investigations but that pending state legislation may require moving some cameras and limit their use. On the drone program he said 50 missions in 2025 supported parades, investigations, emergency response and search operations.
Council asked about independent review of uses of force; Wade said supervisors and command staff perform internal review, and excessive-force complaints are sent to the Criminal Justice Training Commission for potential decertification review. He acknowledged public concerns about oversight and said the department reports use-of-force data to the state WADEPs system.
Wade closed by thanking officers and community partners and said staff would be available to answer follow-up questions.
