ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The Elk Grove Police Department released its 2024 annual report offering a detailed look into crime trends and department policies and procedures for the previous year. 

During last week’s City Council meeting, Elk Grove Police Department Chief of Police Bobby Davis shared statistics from the report that included data by type of crime and responses over the past year. 

Patrol operations were consistent with the previous year, according to the report. In 2024, the Elk Grove Police Department made 8,334 reports on 91,094 calls for service. The previous year it made 8,392 reports on 90,045 calls for service. 

The difference primarily came in arrests made. In 2023, police made 2,682 arrests, compared to 2,102 in 2024, a 22% decrease. 

Davis said he saw the decrease as a positive for the community.

“Not every call that we go to is going to result in an arrest,” Davis said. “I actually think those are positive numbers, meaning that we are having contacts that don’t always result in an arrest for the folks that we make contacts within our community.”

Overall, the report detailed an 18% increase in crimes against persons, from 733 in 2023 to 872 in 2024, which includes offenses like domestic violence and assault, homicides and robberies. 

Crimes against society, which encompasses DUIs, weapon-law violence and disorderly conduct, dropped significantly, from 867 in 2023 to 566 in 2024; a 35% dip. Trespass violations were the only statistic to increase. 

The department attributed the decrease to “advanced technology” provided by the department to aid officers, investigators and support staff. 

Property crimes dipped by 3%, which the report attributes to a large drop in the theft of motor vehicle parts, such as catalytic converters, and a reduction in burglaries. There were 3,425 reported property crimes, compared to 3,522 the previous year. 

On the roads, officers overall responded to 1,122 collisions, 73 resulting from a DUI.

Still, driving under the influence arrests decreased by 12%, from 261 in 2023 to 230 In 2024. That number still outpaced the 212 arrests made in 2022.  

“We like to think a lot of that has to do with the fact that our operations were standard this year,” Davis said. “We believe that our folks are starting to understand the importance of not driving if you have been drinking in our community.”  

While DUIs did decrease, rates of distracted driving citations increased by 11%. The department issued 1,006 citations for distracted driving, compared to 904 in 2023.

Davis said distracted driving can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence. 

“For us to go by vehicles and see [drivers] on their phones or doing other things in their cars, they will be cited in our city,” Davis said. 

The report also highlighted the department’s Drone as a First Responder Program, which was launched in 2024 to help supplement emergency response calls. 

The report cataloged 924 calls for service with an average response time of 2.2 minutes compared to 7.7 minutes of traditional patrol time. The stats given were between May and December 2024. The department currently has 33 pilots, according to the report, who have logged approximately 192 hours of flight time. 

“It has been a tool that has been an absolute game changer for us,” Davis said. 

The program has continued to grow since it was first initiated. 

In January, the department announced that it received a beyond visual line of sight waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration, which enables the department to conduct drone operations without the need for human visual observers.

The waiver gives the department the ability to fly its drones beyond the visual line of sight, on a case-by-case basis, depending on the risks of the operation. 

Normally, drones and other uncrewed aircraft flown in the United States must stay in sight of the operator, according to the FFA standards.

The waiver now allows the department to fly the drones autonomously across the department’s 42-square-mile jurisdiction, removes the need for rooftop human visual observers and allows drones upwards of 400 feet in the air. This is twice as high as other similar waivers permitted in the past for law enforcement.

The waiver is the largest square-mile approval in the nation for law enforcement drone operators. 

The Elk Grove Police Department has an overall budget of approximately $73.66 million for the 2024/2025 fiscal year. The general fund provides the bulk of the budget at $64.79 million, while Measure E makes up the remaining $5.977 million. Measure E was passed in 2022 by Elk Grove voters to help fund additional public safety and homeless outreach efforts. 

The Investigations Division closed 589 cases in 2024 and recovered $15,568 in stolen merchandise. The division also arrested 50 individuals and towed three vehicles. 

The Elk Grove Police Department cleared 107 homeless encampments in 2024, while providing 126 referrals. The removal of those encampments resulted in nearly 56,100 pounds of trash being removed. 

“As a result, we are seeing areas where there are not as may of these cleanups that are necessary,” Davis said. 

Davis said the department also saw a 42% increase in mental health interventions provided by its Crisis Intervention Response Team, from 387 in 2023 to 548. 

The team consists of mental health clinicians and a patrol officer who have received special training in mental health conditions, according to the report. 

The team focuses on de-escalation tactics when needed and connecting individuals with support and resources.