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HomeMy WebLinkAbout19- 2018 Annual Report - Police Department2018 ANNUAL REPORT Our mission is to keep the most livable place through public safety and community partnerships. On behalf of the dedicated men and women of the Bozeman Police Department, it is my honor to present the department’s 2018 Annual Report. In 2018, we continued to focus on keeping Bozeman a safe and welcoming community to work, play and live. Bozeman also continued to have the lowest crime rate amongst the large cities in Montana. We also continued to strengthen our partnerships with our fellow public safety and law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal levels. We worked daily to maintain and strengthen an engaged community, through day-to-day positive contacts by the officers on the street as well as through a number of community programs. During 2018, we made significant strides to improve the City’s public safety technologies with final acceptance completed on a new radio system and began the switchover to a new computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) and records management system (RMS) replacing a system that had been used since 1999. Both of these technology advancements will directly translate into improved efficiencies and service delivery as well as improved public safety. The department is also very grateful for the community support expressed with the bond results for the Bozeman Public Safety Center. Moving forward, we look forward to the construction of a public safety facility that will allow us to meet the police, fire, prosecution and municipal court needs of our community now and well into the future. In closing, we remain committed to delivering best practice police services and proactively partnering with community members to address public safety issues and working to keep Bozeman The Most Livable Place. Sincerely, Chief Steve Crawford POLICE CHIEF’S MESSAGE 0 50 100 150 200 163 155 134 127 118 112 72 2018 Crime Rate Per 1000 People HE L E N A MI S S O U L A GR E A T F A L L S KA L I S P E L L BI L L I N G S BU T T E BO Z E M A N CRIME RATE In 2018, Bozeman continued to maintain a high level of public safety with the lowest crime rate amongst other large cities in the state. STATISTICS ACTIVITY 2017 2018 Traffic Stops 7,675 9,600 Subject Stops 1,181 1,469 Misdemeanor Citations 4,940 5,430 Motor Vehicle Crashes 1,958 1,840 Animal Complaints 1,746 1,819 Public Assist 1,900 1,815 Disturbances 1,865 1,343 Assaults 224 246 Domestic Disturbance 336 433 Rape 41 31 Trespass 869 800 Vandalism 431 364 Theft 1,268 1,190 Motor Vehicle Theft 179 65 Burglary 90 50 Formal Criminal Reports 5,085 4,845 Total Arrests 2,314 2,618 DUI Arrests 384 367 Total Calls for Service 47,136 50,548 STATISTICS POLICE CALLS FOR SERVICE A call for service can mean a 5-minute interaction with a citizen with one officer, or hundreds of hours of time spent with multiple officers on a felony crime. 2018 HIGHLIGHTS During 2018, we focused considerable time and attention on several key items, all with the goal of improving our department’s ability to provide better services to the City in the future. Each priority matched a goal from the City of Bozeman’s Strategic Plan. First, we worked closely with other City departments and saw the successful passage of a bond for the new Bozeman Public Safety Center. We then began planning to assure that this public safety center serves our department’s needs for many years by anticipating future divisional and unit needs. Secondly, we completed the implementation of a new Records Management System. This system includes new Computer Aided Dispatching software and now provides service to nearly all first responders in Gallatin County. This new software has reduced paperwork redundancy, increased access to critical information, streamlined workflow, and provided for much better organization of case-related materials. We currently continue to work towards even better system integration with this new software, a stated goal that will help us become more efficient and effective. Third, we completed the acceptance of a new radio system. This system greatly improved the ability of our officers to communicate clearly and consistently with each other, increasing their safety and ability to coordinate effectively on calls. Officers Peterson, Kappler and Cox sworn in as new Bozeman Police Officers Next, our department focused on adding civilian staff to our department, including a second full-time animal control officer and a second Police Information Specialist for patrol. These positions allow officers to spend more time patrolling and responding to other calls for service. They were also a step toward implementing our department staffing plan. Recruiting high quality candidates was also a focus in 2018. We held three hiring processes for officers, resulting in the hiring of eleven police officers. We also hired two new animal control officers, a new fleet manager, and a police information specialist. During 2018, an animal control officer, a fleet manager, and eleven officers left the department. Those eleven included one who retired after a 26- year career, two who medically retired, and seven others who voluntarily resigned. For current staff, we continued our focus on ensuring a well-trained department, adding an online training tool and taking a critical look at our entire training program. In addition, we created opportunities for current staff to develop by promoting a new deputy chief, a new captain, two new sergeants, confirming four probationary officers, and assigning two new detectives. 2018 HIGHLIGHTS Captain McNeil and Sergeant Green after their promotions in May Newly promoted Deputy Chief Veltkamp with Chief Crawford during an April ceremony Department members attend training on the department’s new Records Management System DETECTIVE DIVISION The Detective Division is responsible for investigating felonies and complex misdemeanor crimes. One captain, two sergeants, eleven specialized officers, a Police Information Manager, an evidence technician, and a forensic analyst staff this division. This division focused heavily in 2018 on increasing collaboration with other public agencies, including State and Federal agencies, Montana State University, and the Bozeman School District. One of the two sergeants oversees the work of a variety of detectives. One detective is a full time Montana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigator and a member of the Federal ICAC Task Force.. This detective investigates all cases involving the use of computers to exploit children for Gallatin, Park and Madison counties. Two detectives are assigned to the Missouri River Drug Task Force (MRDTF), with one of those assigned part- time as a Task Force Officer to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Five other detectives specialize in sexual assault, crimes against children, robbery, domestic violence, burglary, forgery and elder abuse. In addition, one of these detectives is assigned part-time as a Task Force Officer to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms In May of 2018, this division joined forces with the MSU Police Department to establish a Special Victim’s Unit (SVU) to provide a team approach to investigating sexual crimes, to enhance victim services and increase offender accountability. The program has also been successful in creating an environment where victims feel comfortable reporting these crimes. The other sergeant is a new position for this division this year, assigned as a School Resource Sergeant to oversee the work of three School Resource Officers in the Bozeman School District. With the building of a second high school, the school district and the Detective Division worked together to anticipate future needs, determining 2018 the appropriate time to add this supervisory position. Our School Resource Officers work with school administrators to develop good relationships and provide students a safe place to learn. These specialized positions require officers to serve as law enforcement officers, teachers, and informal counselors. PATROL DIVISION Our patrol officers provide proactive and responsive service, all with a focus on keeping Bozeman a safe community. These officers are the first to respond to the domestic disturbances, thefts, trespasses, assaults, traffic crashes, and many other types of calls. When not handling these calls, officers proactively patrol to identify and prevent criminal activity and change driving behavior, conduct property checks, and participate in community engagement and education opportunities. Aside from responding to routine calls, some patrol officers are trained to provide specialized services, including Mountain Bike Patrol, K9 services, Crisis Intervention Team response and Drug Recognition Expert services. A captain, seven sergeants, and thirty-six sworn officers staff the Patrol Division, working four shifts in three different beats. A civilian Crash Investigator provides prompt attention to motor vehicle crashes. In addition, we added a second Police Information Specialist this year to assist officers with developing cases and allow officers to spend more time on patrol. During 2018, this division collaborated with numerous other public agencies, including patrol officers and deputies from numerous other agencies. The Patrol Division was an active participant in the newly formed Veterans Court, which supports rehabilitation of veterans in struggles with emotional disorders and substance abuse. The division also collaborated this year with the U.S. Marshals by appointing a task force officer to the Violent Offender Task Force to assist in the apprehension of violent offenders in our community. PATROL DIVISION Numerous officers receive awards from the Montana Association of Chiefs of Police during a June ceremony. SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION The major goals of the Support Services Division are to support and augment the work of other divisions of the police department, to improve the quality of life of residents and visitors, and to increase the interaction between the department and the community. These goals are accomplished through community outreach and partnerships, enforcement, and communication through various social media platforms. Members of this division focus on proactively developing solutions to the immediate underlying conditions contributing to public safety concerns. Additionally the division is responsible for recruitment and hiring, the volunteer program, departmental training, fleet maintenance, uniform and equipment purchasing, Animal Control and Code Complaince. The division is comprised of a captain, a sergeant, a sworn Community Resource Officer, one full-time civilian code compliance officer, two animal control officers, a fleet maintenance coordinator, a police information specialist, and several volunteers. Animal Control Officer Fowler with one of her more elusive customers. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Enhancing public safety in Bozeman involves a proactive approach to solving community concerns. We recognize that quality of life issues are some of the most important to our citizens, and earning the trust of the community enables the department to better understand and address its needs. In 2018, the Bozeman Police Department continued to support a ‘spirit of service’ through interactive community engagement and partnerships, public outreach events and communication. We hosted numerous events, including our flagship Citizen’s Police Academy, which saw its eleventh graduating class. We continued to host our Explorer program and events such as Coffee with a Cop, Shop with a Cop, and the National Night Out Against Crime. In addition, we partnered with the Bozeman Police Foundation, MSU and HRDC for our newest outreach program, “Kids, Cops, and Cats,” an event when officer take area youth to an MSU football game, designed to develop positive relationships. We also focused on communicating with the community consistently throughout 2018. We provided monthly reports to the Inter Neighborhood Council and attended numerous neighborhood association meetings. We attended numerous community events such as Sweet Pea Parade, Bobcat Fest, Kidapalooza, Music on Main and Christmas stroll. We worked to educate the community through numerous talks and presentations, security Captain Knight and Captain Klumb walk in the Sweet Pea Parade evaluations for homes and businesses, and by utilizing opportunities such as the addition of a second full time Animal Control Officer to increase awareness of pet safety and related laws. We also used social media platforms consistently to communicate with and educate the community, with our Facebook page having over 12,000 followers and our Instagram page having over 1,200 by the end of 2018. An officer shops with a participant in the 2018 Shop with a Cop event OUR VALUES OUR MISSION is to keep BOZEMAN MT the most livable place through public safety and community partnerships BOZEMAN POLICE Leadership in the community that is proactive and innovative Integrity at all times with transparency and accountability Service above self that is personal, prompt, and respectful Teamwork that promotes collaboration and success CORE VALUES BOZEMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT 615 S. 16th Ave. Bozeman, Montana 59715 (406) 582-2000 Fax (406) 582-2002