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Police chief reports slight quarterly drop in incidents, flags rise in fraud complaints
Summary
Police Chief Henry told the Kentwood City Commission that overall incidents dipped slightly for the quarter but year-to-date calls remain above the five‑year average; he highlighted a rise in fraud/scam reports and described technology and staffing outcomes.
Police Chief Henry delivered the department’s second-quarter 2026 report, saying overall incident counts for the quarter were down but year‑to‑date calls remain above the five‑year average. “For this 2nd 0.25, overall incidence, we had a slight decrease compared to last year with 4,580,” he said.
Henry reported declines in burglaries (23 this quarter, down from 43 last year) and property crime trends that are generally favorable, while aggravated assaults remained roughly unchanged. He singled out fraud complaints as a rising problem, reporting 83 fraud cases during the period and explaining investigative limits: some scams involve interstate elements that constrain local follow-up and the FBI generally prioritizes cases above a $500,000 threshold.
The chief described technology and operational outcomes: the department’s license‑plate reader system (Flock) read more than 6 million plates per month in the quarter, produced roughly 3,200 searches and about 3,300 hot‑list hits that yielded 23 outcomes and 14 arrests. Henry also detailed drone usage for searches, accident reconstruction and locating an endangered adult.
Commissioners asked about scams targeting seniors and local communications; Henry said the department will issue public alerts when patterns emerge and conducts outreach at retirement communities. The commission voted to receive and file the police report.
