Interim Police Chief Mike Vincent presented the Police Department's 2023 Annual Report to Council at the April 9 City Council Meeting. Some highlights of the year included the following:
- Launched Addison Police Reporting Online (APRO) to provide a way for the public to self-report theft, fraud, and similar property crimes (www.addisontexas.net/APRO).
- Continued training curriculum so that Addison Police Officers met or exceeded all national and state training requirements.
- Continued regional partnerships and training with Metrocrest Quad Cities and NorTex SWAT.
- Developed a response to an increase in vehicle thefts that included adding an additional vehicle theft detective, purchasing new investigative software, joining several multi-agency investigations, and increasing patrols in affected areas.
- Continued to work with Metrocrest Services and other partners to address homelessness and community mental health issues. Hosted a citizen’s education seminar on homelessness in November 2023.
- Increased visibility in neighborhoods by participating in events like Addison's first National Night Out, Trunk-Or-Treat, Touch-A-Truck, and Easter Egg-Stravaganza.
In 2023, APD received 16,699 calls for service, which was a 2.2% decrease from 2022. Chief Vincent shared that while arrests were down slightly, traffic stops were up 12% to 9,636 and officers wrote 5,055 reports.
The overall crime rate decreased by just over 9% in 2023. There were 14.5% fewer Crimes Against Persons offenses reported and, even though vehicle theft was up, simple thefts, thefts of services, and burglaries decreased by 6.2%.
Some of the department's plans for 2024 include:
- Complete executive search and hire the next Police Chief.
- Recruit, retain, and train quality employees and officers.
- Complete Public Safety Staffing Assessment with Matrix Consulting to analyze and plan for current and future staffing and deployment needs.
- Continue work with Town Staff to address Police facility needs and long-term building solutions.
- Continue to enhance coordination with outside partners to address homelessness and offer connections to outreach and services to individuals.
- Complete Police Policy review and implementation of updated manual using Lexipol software system.
- Complete build-out and deployment of new patrol fleet
You can watch the Council's APD Annual Report discussion here, read the presentation here, and review the report here.
