Duvall police chief outlines staffing shortfalls, training plans and digital evidence upgrade

Chief Keller presented the Duvall Police Department’s annual review to the council on March 3, outlining training priorities, recruitment challenges and plans to digitize the department’s evidence processing.

Keller, who led the presentation, said community events such as Duval Days, National Night Out and shop-with-a-cop remain a priority and underpin department outreach. He described mandatory training requirements—"every officer is required to do a minimum of 24 hours of in-service training each year"—and listed specialized courses his supervisors attend, from field-training officer programs to leadership institutes.

Keller highlighted efforts to keep officers current in critical skills: annual firearms qualification, defensive-tactics and emergency-vehicle operations, and recent advanced instruction in impaired-driver recognition. He said some training is issued by the state training commission and other elements are tailored in-house.

On medical response and use-of-force obligations, Keller told the council there is an expectation to "render aid as long as the scene is safe," while noting a higher duty applies when an officer or another party has applied force and that officers must weigh personal risk if a scene remains violent.

Keller pointed to ongoing staffing shortages as the driving constraint on service levels. He said the department had three vacancies in 2025 and reported a staffing shortfall of 15.3% in the last quarter of the year, attributed to extended leaves and some candidates failing to complete the hiring process. He described the department’s multi-step hiring pipeline—continuous testing, scripted interviews, moral board review, background checks, polygraph, conditional offers and psychological/medical clearance—and warned new hires can take eight to 12 months to reach solo patrol status.

The chief also described operational metrics: calls for service trended down from 2023 but rose versus 2024 in parts of the year, and traffic stops and personal contacts increased as staff levels and patrol time shifted. He compared local priority-one response times with larger nearby agencies to illustrate how technology and staffing affect outcomes.

Keller said the department is transitioning from paper ledgers to a digital evidence-processing system that uses barcodes and scans to improve chain-of-custody and inventory accuracy. "With digital, you can start adding barcodes. You scan it in, scan it out," Keller said, adding the equipment exists but needs implementation and training.

He closed by listing near-term initiatives: continuous recruiting and testing, producing short recruiting videos to raise awareness of Duvall, leadership development for supervisors, and a five-year strategic plan to align equipment, staffing and capital needs. The council did not take formal action on the presentation; Keller asked for continued council support for budget and hiring priorities.