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Piedmont Police report: robberies and larcenies decline overall but residential burglaries rose in 2024
Summary
Chief Jeremy Bowers told the council that while robberies fell (10 in 2023 to 3 in 2024) and larcenies declined, residential burglaries rose early in 2024 and then decreased later in the year; the department highlighted ALPR results and community policing programs.
Piedmont's police chief, Jeremy Bowers, presented the department's 2024 annual report comparing reported crime trends across years and described both positive and concerning patterns. Bowers said robberies declined from 10 in 2023 to 3 in 2024 and that larceny thefts dropped substantially; however, residential burglaries increased in the first half of 2024 and then fell back in later quarters.
The chief discussed responses and prevention steps: the department emphasized burglary-prevention outreach for construction sites, coordination with regional auto-theft task forces, and community engagement programs. On automated license-plate reader (ALPR) metrics, Bowers reported the city now has 48 ALPR cameras, 16 arrests directly attributed to ALPR hits, 65 recovered vehicles and 771 ALPR incident responses over recent years. He cautioned the 2024 decline in ALPR hits may reflect criminals using no-plate vehicles or quickly switched plates and noted vendor pilots to improve detection.
Bowers also described ongoing community initiatives — 'cop on the block,' National Night Out-style activities, Bark-in-the-Park, and school partnerships — and praised PUSD leadership for developing threat-assessment capabilities. No new enforcement policy changes were adopted at the meeting; the department said it will continue outreach and analytic work to address burglary trends.
