The Kokomo Police Department has conducted an analysis of the department from January 2020 to the present. On January 1, 2020 Chief Douglas Stout made it one of his main priorities to increase the number of sworn officers on the Kokomo Police Department. This priority was needed to properly serve and protect our community.
At the beginning of 2020, there were seventy- six (76) sworn officers on the department. Since that time, KPD has instituted an aggressive recruiting and testing program. During the last 3 ½ years, we have hired multiple lateral transfers, which saves the department time and money with getting more officers on the streets. Today, we are proud to announce that there will be ninety-five (95) sworn officers serving our community by the end of July. This is a 25% increase in manpower since 2020.
The compiled FBI crime numbers for 2022 speak volumes of the efforts of our officers and the entire community. Crime in Kokomo that is classified as violent crime by the FBI, has decreased by just over 30% since 2020. Crime, that is classified as property crime, has decreased by just over 20% since 2020. Through our collective efforts with several agencies and the community in order to reduce crime, we have built stronger relationships with the Howard County Prosecutors Office, Howard County Probation Department, Howard County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Howard County Coroner’s Office, our federal law enforcement partners, as well as community organizations. There are also multiple committees and coalitions that meet frequently in an effort to improve victim services that most of the community are not aware of their existence.
As we all know, the opioid addiction problem in our country has spiraled out of control. With the additional manpower and community support, we have been able to address the dealers in our community who sell this poison to our citizens. Since January 2020, KPD has arrested 7 individuals for the crime of Dealing in a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death.
We also analyzed our use of force incidents compared to department manpower since the beginning of 2020. In 2020, officers of the Kokomo Police Department were involved 150 use of force situations. In 2022, officers were involved in 110 use of force situations required to safely affect arrests situations. As manpower increased by 25%, use of force incidents decreased by 26%. This is not only due to the increase in manpower, but an updated training program that focuses on improved and updated de-escalation techniques.
In 2020, we also began a take home car program, which places more officers on the streets at any given time. We have also received more community engagement with the introduction of our new Tip411 program. This gives citizens a way to provide tips and information anonymously. We are also able to communicate with the tipster who stay anonymous. When this program reaches its one-year anniversary we will provide more information on its effectiveness.
Chief Stout recently stated “We may have 95 sworn officers by the end of July, but I want our department to consist of approximately 60,000 employees”, referring to the citizens of Kokomo and the amazing assistance that they provide to us via tips and community involvement. Criminals don’t want to come to cities with active community involvement. The Kokomo Police Department continually looks for ways to better serve the community. By all of us working together, we can continue to make Kokomo a better place to work and live.