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Fletcher police report multi‑year crime decline, outline staffing and training needs
Summary
Chief Justin told council Fletcher’s crime rate was the lowest in roughly 17 years, described one new officer in the academy and continuing training challenges, and urged continued support for staffing and proactive enforcement strategies.
Fletcher Police Chief Justin told the Town Council that the town’s 2024 crime rate is the lowest the department can trace in roughly 17 years and that recent staffing additions should make patrol capacity more resilient.
"Crime rates... the lowest that we've seen here uh in the last 17 years," the chief said, and added that 2023 and 2024 were the lowest since 2008 in their records. He explained the way the crime rate is calculated and said a 2024 rate of roughly 1,435.3 per 100,000 residents would scale to 1,435 victimizations if the town had 100,000 people.
The chief said the department recently filled vacancies and that the last new officer is currently in the academy and will be in field training next spring: "He'll graduate in December... he won't do much for us until May." He described the department as otherwise fully staffed "if nobody else leaves" and flagged the ongoing need for supervisory and logistical support as local development increases call volume.
On training, the chief criticized recent limits at the state Justice Academy and said the department has sought more training options, including national courses and conferences. He also cited a recent investment to send a Detective Sergeant to the National Forensic Academy as a notable capacity improvement.
Council members praised patrol and public‑works staff and asked how best to support continued training and appropriate pay to retain officers. The chief recommended targeted support for training budgets and said proactive enforcement and visible patrols have helped keep quality‑of‑life complaints from becoming more serious public‑safety problems.
He also reacted to the earlier presentation from Love and Respect, calling peer support a valuable complement to police work and saying he would follow up to learn more about the group’s programs.
The council did not take formal action; the chief’s presentation concluded with questions and council commendations.
