Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chief outlines stepped up patrols after weekend homicides; shootings down but homicide count up
Summary
Police Chief Warren reported fewer shooting incidents compared with the same period last year but a higher number of homicides; he announced short‑term overtime and high‑intensity patrol teams, expanded phone reporting options and a testing phase for online police reporting, and outlined longer‑term staffing and academy plans.
Police Chief Warren told council the department has seen an unusual cluster of high‑profile incidents in January. Comparing Jan. 1–21 year‑over‑year, he said there were 12 people shot in the prior year (two homicides) and eight shot this year, but four of the recent shootings resulted in homicides. "So, the number of shootings are down, but the number of homicides are up," the chief said.
As immediate measures he authorized additional overtime officers and the creation of high‑intensity patrol teams — a sergeant and four officers assigned to patrol captains for targeted sectors — to increase visibility and community contact. The department is also testing expanded phone reporting (ICAP) and a police‑to‑community online reporting pilot (P2C) to free officer time for patrol and investigations. Chief Warren said the department expects to evaluate these steps over a 60‑day period and will continue recruitment efforts to fill approximately 20 vacant positions; he also outlined academy timelines and potential outsourcing of background checks to speed hiring.
Council members asked whether the incidents were gang‑related or random; the chief said the events generally involved people known to one another and a mix of domestic incidents and high‑risk activity tied to drugs, robberies or social‑media disputes. He stressed community policing and technology (real‑time crime center, Neighbor app) as part of prevention and investigative efforts.
