Woodway public safety department reports stable call volumes, rise in arrests and parking-lot collisions

The Woodway public safety department presented its quarterly and annual report to the City Council on Jan. 12, reporting broadly similar overall calls for service year-to-year and several changes in specific categories.

Officer Kistister (introduced by Chief) presented annual figures comparing the previous year and the current reporting year, including calls for service (about 16,530–16,540), reports taken (782 to 679), arrests (345 compared to 281), traffic stops (4,964 compared to 4,824) and citations (1,723 compared to 1,888). The department said top annual offenses included drug and narcotic violations, larceny, and driving under the influence for one year and similar top offenses for the subsequent year.

Officer Kistister also reviewed quarterly comparisons and highlighted a notable increase in parking-lot collisions at the city’s largest grocery store (from 45 to 70 reported incidents in the quarter). The officer described community engagement programs — honor guard at Special Olympics, a holiday toy-drive truck, and a cops-and-kids Halloween drive-thru — as part of the department’s outreach strategy.

Council members asked whether changes in state inspection requirements or a larger share of newer officers could explain shifts in citations and traffic enforcement; staff responded that multiple factors (officer staffing levels, training, legislative changes) likely contribute. Council and staff also discussed how not all collisions are reported to police if parties exchange information without calling officers, which can affect reported totals.

No formal action followed the presentation; the council thanked the department for the report.