Police chief reports training increase and rising calls for service

The York Police Chief presented the department’s annual report to the City Council, highlighting training, rising calls for service and new traffic-enforcement tools.

The chief said officers completed almost 2,700 hours of training last year for a department of roughly 21 employees. He described that training as a mix of national accredited courses and in-house instruction aimed at leadership, supervision and community policing.

The chief reported a steady increase in calls for service — citing about 8,330 in 2022 and more than 9,600 in 2024 — and characterized the department as handling roughly 800 calls per month. He recommended proactive traffic enforcement and described use of radar-equipped traffic-count devices and mobile signs that collect speed data; staff said the devices upload wirelessly and are being used to collect baseline data to guide enforcement and targeted education. The chief said the department does not plan to issue citations based solely on camera data but will use the information for door-knocks and education.

The chief also highlighted the school resource officer program’s success, saying it has operated without reported issues this school year, and described community outreach that included safety presentations for area children. The presentation emphasized proactive policing and community contacts as core strategies.

Council members asked about problem locations and device deployment; staff said the devices are portable, solar-kit optional and rechargeable batteries are used. The chief said the department will refine hot-spot priorities next year and rotate devices to collect data in different seasonal conditions.

The presentation closed without a formal action; council thanked the chief for the report.