2014 Annual Report - City of Anacortes

Anacortes Police Department
2014 Annual Report
C h i e f B o n n i e B o we rs :
2014 was a tough year for American policing. Several high profile use of
force incidents have led many to question the integrity of law enforcement
officers, especially in their treatment of minorities and their application of
deadly force. These incidents caused me to reflect on my own police
department. Are we using force correctly? Are we protecting the rights of
those we serve? Do we have biases against certain groups?
Everyone has some bias. When I was a young police officer in the 1980’s,
the Chevrolet Camaro was a popular car among men between the ages of
18-25. It is a fact that men between the ages of 18-25 account for a
higher number of traffic infractions than other age and gender groups. I
used to jokingly say, “You show me a red Camaro and I will show you a
traffic ticket.” My experience was that many of my traffic infractions came from Camaros, especially
red ones. I had a bias. Not every Camaro owner was a traffic offender, not every young man is a
traffic offender, but because some young men with a propensity toward traffic violations chose to
drive that car, my experience was skewed to cause a bias.
More serious are the biases we may develop toward people because of their ethnicity, gender, age,
or socio-economic status. Even if our experiences support our biases (like mine with the red
Chevrolet Camaro), through training and self-awareness, police can and must still act impartially.
When we ignore or deny our bias, we lose our impartiality, lack empathy, and act based on our
prejudice.
The Anacortes Police Department has received training since 2006 in preventing Bias Based
Policing. Our recruits are trained in the police academy and our officers are retrained every few years
during in-service training. We take measures during our hiring process to ensure our officers are
aware of their own biases and understand how their biases can impact their decisions.
The appropriate use of force, especially deadly force used by police, has also come
Directory:
under increased scrutiny. Police professionals who have high training standards,
process accountability, and good reporting practices in place welcome the discussion. Patrol Operations
Policing is inherently dangerous. The majority of police contacts are with people in
Records Section
crisis. The crisis may be exacerbated by drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues,
Crime Prevention
or cognitive disorders. An officer may have to take that person into custody for their
own safety or in response to a criminal act. These are potentially volatile situations
Investigations
Statistical Analysis
3
4
5
7
8
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Chief’s Message
and even the best trained, most prepared officers will find themselves sometime having to make force
decisions in fractions of a second.
Every officer learns in basic training that necessary force is the amount of force needed to effect the lawful
purpose intended. Quite simply, the amount of force used must be reasonable, comparative to the amount
of resistance or the perceived threat the officer is responding to. Officers must receive regular and specific
training to respond to the physical threats they can encounter in the field. Police departments must
document all incidents where force is used, why it was used, and if it was appropriate within their policy
and legal guidelines. If a department is not doing so they are placing their officers and communities at risk.
At the Anacortes Police we document every use of force, no matter how small, with a report. Each one is
reviewed to ensure that training guidelines, policy, and the law are followed. Considering the at-risk
population officers sometimes encounter, the incidents of force applications are very low. Additionally our
officers regularly train in the application of force, including hands free defensive tactics, Taser applications,
and lethal force. Actual force is used in only a fraction of our arrests. In our analysis of 2014 Use of Force
Reports there were no incidents in which officers acted outside of department policy.
Our department vision is to ensure public safety and earn public trust. In order to achieve this vision we
constantly review our interactions with the public, and welcome public comments. We understand police
authority comes not just from the law that bestows it on us, but from the citizens who delegate their
authority to the police in order to promote their safety and ensure their rights.
- Chief Bonnie Bowers
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Patrol Operations
After spending most of 2013 in a manpower shortage,
the Police Department began building back toward full
staff in 2014. Officers Michael Scheepers, Jesse
Buffum, Jeff Devine and Tyson Meyer were all hired,
bringing the department closer to full-staff.
Officer Paul Wakefield was honored with the police
department’s “Partner Officer of the Year Award”. This
is an annual award that recognizes an officer who is
always willing to assist other officers and goes out of their way to assist the citizens of Anacortes.
Mayor Gere officially swore-in
Officers Scheppers (above)
and Buffum (right) in 2014.
Five employees earned the department’s physical fitness award in
2014, including Sgt. Chris Fuller, and officers Jesse Buffum, Evan
Michael, Jackie Richter and Michael Scheepers.
APD Officers drove over 100,000 miles in 2014 without any accidents
or damage to city vehicles despite traveling every street, avenue, alley,
and even some places where cars don’t normally go.
Our officers worked over 140 drug cases in 2014; ranging from
misdemeanor arrests for possession of a small amount of marijuana
up to felony drug trafficking arrests involving heroin and methamphetamine.
Officer Wakefield receives the department’s
Partner Officer of the Year Award from Mayor
Gere.
Several officers worked on Problem Solving Teams this year. Teams
partnered with neighborhood groups, the County Health Department, City Building Department, and the Liquor
Control Board to resolve problems with people, residences and buildings that were not necessarily criminal,
but created an environment where criminal activity could flourish and citizens were at risk. Team successes
this year include the closing down of drug houses, improvement of traffic situations, providing safe housing for
vulnerable adults and improved preparedness for natural disasters.
Through cooperative agreements with community groups APD officers frequently arrange for motel stays for
the homeless, health care for the injured or sick, and mental health care for people who represent a danger to
themselves or others. All APD officers have received training on how to deal with people with mental illness,
Alzheimer’s and dementia, and cognitive disabilities. Officers also carry donated blankets and meal and gas
cards to help people who may be in need of emergency assistance.
The patrol division also took a big step toward going paperless this year. Officers can now use their in-car
mobile data terminals to complete traffic infractions, criminal citations, and their written reports. Everything
can be filed electronically with the records section as well as the local courts, saving valuable resources and
time.
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Records
Thousands of pieces of information are collected, corrected,
proofed, collated, disseminated and cataloged by the Records
Section of the Police Department, which is comprised of
Records Supervisor Katie Ingram, Records Specialists Judy Beyer, Mel
Dodge and Val Newsom and Records Clerk Pat Hofland.
In her first full year on board with APD Katie Ingram has improved the
efficiency and effectiveness of the records section tremendously. A
significant amount of staff time and money have been saved now that the
Records section is filing reports electronically with the Municipal and County
Prosecutor’s offices. E-filing allows for the fast, efficient transfer of cases
without having to photocopy and transfer paper documents.
Katie Ingram
Records Section Processing Workload for '10-'14
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
854 850
803
748
Judy Beyer
693
269
252 258
255
161 170
294
Mel Dodge
225
182
107 96 100 95
105
58
CPL'S ISSUED
CPL'S RENEWED
COURT ORDERS PROCESSED
ARREST WARRANTS PROCESSED
In addition, each arrest warrant, stolen vehicle enquiry, court order, etc.,
must be entered in to a Federal / State database and periodically validated
or cleared. Other duties include the collection and distribution of House
Check forms from citizens for the volunteer Anacortes Auxiliary Patrols,
orchestrating the release of impounded animals to their owners, taking lost
and found property reports from citizens who come in to the police station
and processing Concealed Pistol Licenses.
Val Newsom
Val Newsom has additional duties as the department’s Evidence Custodian.
She catalogues evidence, sends items to the crime lab and coordinates the
release of property.
Pat Hofland
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Crime Prevention
Community Services Officer
Karl Wolfswinkel
In 2014 the department hired Community Service Officer Karl Wolfswinkel. Karl
oversees the department’s Crime Prevention programs, which include the
volunteer Auxiliary Patrols, the Court Work Program (CWP) as well as the
department’s social media interaction with the public. Karl is also responsible for
the monitoring of the department’s participation in the county-wide Drug Box
program.
Anacortes Auxiliary Patrol
The Auxiliary Patrol program has been active in Anacortes for more
than 20 years. This year, as in years past, the all-volunteer patrols
have performed more than 1500 individual property checks for
residents who are on vacation. Auxiliary Patrol volunteers also staff
many of the major events in Anacortes every year to assist with traffic
control, including the Oyster Run, the Arts Festival, the Fourth of July
and Christmas Parades and several others. The work of the more
than fifty members in the department’s two Auxiliary patrols
represented thousands of hours of volunteer labor again this year.
Officer Wolfswinkel with Downtown Patrol
Coordinator Richard Heidecker, Sr and longtime
patrol member Elaine OIiphant at a recent event.
Court Work Program (CWP)
The Court Work Program gives offenders that commit misdemeanor crime in Anacortes the
opportunity to pay their debt to the community back in the form of community service, rather than
expensive jail time. Typical tasks include landscaping around public buildings, clearing and
cleaning public trails, and power washing sidewalks and driveways. In 2014 more than 75
enrollees completed their court-ordered time in the city, logging more than 380 days of community
work.
Prescription Drug Drop-Off Program
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 100 people a day die from drug
overdoses in the United States. The CDC also reports that drug overdose death rates have tripled in
our country since 1990. Amazingly, according to the CDC, drug overdoses now kill more Americans
than motor vehicle crashes.
A major portion of the prescription drug overdose problem is the non-medical use of prescription
medications. This would include using prescription medications that were prescribed to another
person or using these powerful medications just to get “high”. Many young people who abuse
prescription medications are under the mistaken assumption that because they are prescribed,
they are safer than illicit drugs. Most abusers of prescription medications obtain them from people
they know, or from their own family medicine cabinet.
In addition, improper disposal of unused prescription medications can lead to contamination of the
watershed which presents a risk to both aquatic life and the general public.
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Crime Prevention
To help combat these issues, the Anacortes Police Department is
participating in a county-wide medication collection program. We have a
secure medication disposal box located in the lobby of the police
department that the public can use to dispose of their unused medications.
The medications deposited in the box are packaged and transported to an
approved disposal site. The list of accepted materials for this free drop off
service include:
Household prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, pet
medications, vitamins, supplements and Epi pens.
CPTED Evaluations
CSO Wolfswinkel completed a course in Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design during 2014. CPTED concepts stress the ability to
prevent crime through design concepts like lighting, landscaping, and
materials engineering. CPTED also emphasizes the most efficient uses of
technology, such as video surveillance and motion sensors.
Prescription Drug Drop-Off
Box in the APD Lobby
The Police Department now offers residents and businesses in Anacortes free CPTED evaluations as a
crime prevention tool. Upon request, CSO Wolfswinkel will evaluate any residence or business and work up
an evaluation and recommendations based upon CPTED principles.
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Investigations
The Investigations section of the Police Department consists of a Detective Sergeant and two full-time
Detectives. One of the Detectives is normally assigned to the multi-department Skagit County Interlocal
Drug Enforcement Unit (SCIDEU), working county-wide drug crimes. However, manpower shortages in 2014
led to the department recalling our Detective part of the year from SCIDEU so that he could work in uniform
as part of the Patrol Division. Once 2015 arrived he was placed back in the drug unit.
Not counting the SCIDEU cases, Anacortes Detectives handled 299 felony cases in 2014. That is a 20
percent increase over felony reports in 2010, but a 30 percent reduction from 2012 when felony reports hit
an all-time high of 421.
Detective Sergeant Chris Fuller and Detective Terrence Clifford handled the majority of the felony case work
for the city in 2014, including some high profile cases. Sgt. Fuller used DNA technology to catch a repeat
offender who did tens of thousands of dollars of damage to city property, and Detective Clifford handled
one of the larger embezzlement cases in Skagit County history, over $300,000 taken from a local charity.
Det. Sgt Fuller and Det. Clifford are also part of the Skagit Multi-Agency Response Team (SMART), a group
of detectives from different agencies in the county that work together on major crimes. This year they
participated in a multi-agency sting operation that netted several arrests of online sexual predators
throughout Skagit County, including Anacortes.
Felony Reports Filed by Year
2010-2014
450
421
400
377
350
354
300
299
250
242
200
150
100
50
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Statistical Analysis
Monthly Misdemeanor Rates: The most visible crime in
any community is misdemeanor crime, which include
minor thefts, assaults and property crimes like
malicious mischief and vehicle prowling. Over the past
ten years in Anacortes we have seen a reduction in the
amount of misdemeanor crimes that are reported or
otherwise detected by officers.
The dark blue line on the graph to the right reflects the
amount of reported / detected misdemeanor crime,
whereas the lighter blue line shows the number of
misdemeanor crimes that officers have cleared through
arrest or some other means.
Total Calls for Service is a measure of the number of
times that someone calls the communications center
and provides information that requires that a case
number is generated or APD. The number has
continued to decline over the past several years, in part
due to changes made by how APD handles incoming
calls to the 911 center. After reaching a high of more
than 10400 in 2011, the number has steadily declined
to just under 9500 cases generated in 2014.
Traffic Offenses and Collisions: The past several years
have seen a steady decline in DUI and other traffic
arrests due to an emphasis by officers. Many studies
show that our roadways are made safer when proactive
traffic work is done by patrol officers.
In 2014 one of the APD goals was to reduce the
number of traffic accidents in the city. Increased
visibility and traffic enforcement, as well as partnering
with the city engineers on traffic control measures,
helped to reduce reportable accidents by about 2.5
percent. This effort will continue in 2015 with an eye
toward even greater results.
Traffic Offenses and Collisions
by Year '10-'14
376
330
341
318
308
223
199
192
203
121
105
73
DUI
82
65
OTHER CRIM TRAFFIC
COLLISIONS
218
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Statistical Analysis
Property Crime (all)
Violent Crime (felony)
900
40
800
35
700
30
600
25
500
20
400
15
300
10
200
5
100
0
0
'05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14
Reported
Felony Violent Crimes: Rape, Robbery and
Felony Assault declined in 2014 in the city.
There were 25 reported violent felonies,
almost all of which were cleared by arrest.
'05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14
Reported
Felony and Misdemeanor Property Crimes:
Once again in 2014 the number of reported
property crimes dropped in Anacortes. APD
efforts that began in late 2012 and
throughout 2013 to target criminals
committing property crimes, in particular
residential burglaries, have resulted in a
continuing decline in reported property
crimes throughout the city.
Ensuring Public Safety; Earning Public Trust
2014 Annual Report
Budget Analysis
Police Department Budget Expenditures 2014
Facility
Crime Prevention 1.9% Jail Medical
0.3%
0.5%
Animal Control
0.2%
Tra ining
0.6%
Operations
9.2%
Jail Tax
10 %
Personnel
71.9%
Admin
4.5%