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Fife swears in two officers as police chief touts 2025 gains, cites 37% traffic enforcement rise
Summary
Fife ceremonially swore in Officers Aaron Gowen and Caitlin Hanga and received a police quarterly update in which Chief Doug Newman highlighted data-driven patrols, a 37% increase in traffic enforcement, a reported 15% drop in use-of-force incidents and ongoing regional partnerships.
Deputy Mayor Joey Murphy opened the meeting Feb. 10 and Chief Doug Newman presented the Fife Police Department's quarterly recap and a ceremonial oath for two new officers.
Newman introduced Officer Aaron Gowen and Officer Caitlin Hanga and administered their oaths. Both officers thanked the council and department; Hanga said she felt she "belonged" and Gowen described the department's professionalism and community focus.
In his quarterly presentation, Chief Newman framed the report as a 2025 recap and described a three-part emphasis for the department: data-driven patrols, increased traffic enforcement and enhanced supervision and training. "One of our strategic objectives is an emphasis on traffic enforcement," Newman said, noting a "37% increase year to date" in traffic enforcement as a measurable result of that work. He also reported that the department processed roughly 500 arrests in the year and described nearly 1,000 community contacts, of which about 400 resulted in connections to outreach services.
Newman said use-of-force incidents showed a decline: "This slide shows a 15% drop," he said, while cautioning that numbers can fluctuate and noting ongoing work to improve data capture and policy alignment. He stressed the department's emphasis on less-lethal options and tactics, describing the 40-millimeter launcher as a less-lethal tool used to increase time, distance and shielding during critical incidents.
Council members asked about the causes of the use-of-force decline, hiring needs, and mutual-aid planning for large events. Newman said the department had three current vacancies, had recently hired three officers and would continue recruiting to reach full staffing. On large events, he said Fife is coordinating with county and state emergency management partners and neighboring agencies.
The presentation closed with mentions of community events (Polar Plunge and Hooping for Heroes), awards and regional narcotics and human-trafficking enforcement partnerships.
The meeting then moved to other agenda items including the city strategic plan and several votes.
