City Council: Police Annual Report and Emergency Repair Success
The Port Townsend Police Department gives their Annual Report and more in the March 2, 2026 Port Townsend City Council meeting.
City council news by Angela Downs
PORT TOWNSEND, WA — On March 2, 2026 The Port Townsend Police Department shared a presentation of their annual report. There were three executive sessions and an emergency pipeline repair presentation. The Port Townsend Library Friends and Foundation also gave a presentation on their history and recent successes, which you can read more about here.
Chief of Police, Thomas Olson, reported an average of 23 service calls to the department per day, with Fridays typically having the most calls and 11 a.m. being the busiest hour of the day. There was an 80% decrease in robberies (crime against a person) over the last year, a 37% decrease in burglary (property crime), and a 109% increase in motor vehicle theft, most of which Olson said were preventable due to people leaving their keys in unlocked cars. Theft and fraud is the most common crime, with 303 reported cases in 2025. Chief Olson said about traffic stops, “I have a strong belief in education. We aren’t writing one ticket after another.”
The Police Department reported great success with their drone project and a 2026 goal for more drone pilot certifications. Another 2026 goal is to hire a detective, as the officers are currently doing the majority of investigative work. There were 607 hours of officer training and 750 hours of field training in 2025. Chief Olson stated that they are willing to train at a slower pace and invest 4-5 months into really good officers.
Included in the Police Department annual review was their policy regarding immigration. Officers will not ask anyone about their immigration status or for their papers, they won’t provide information to federal immigration authorities for a non-criminal matter except as required by law, and they won’t give federal immigration authorities access to interview individuals about a non-criminal matter while in our custody except as required by state or federal law. Officers also won’t allow a federal immigration authority to conduct an interview regarding federal immigration violations with a person who is in custody if the person has not consented in writing to be interviewed, detain individuals solely for the purpose of determining their immigration status, or take a person into custody or hold a person in custody for solely for the purpose of determining immigration status, based solely on a civil immigration warrant or on an immigration hold request.
There were two Executive Session discussions with legal counsel about current or potential litigations, and one regarding performance of a public employee.
There was Immediate Repair of Damage to the Olympic Gravity water System Transmission Pipeline Near 223 Aerie Lane. Director of Public Works Steve King declared a state of emergency so that contractors could be brought in right away because the water pressure was so high it was likely the break would grow overnight.
Repairs required an excavator and four men shoveling. They decided on a temporary repair band, leaving only a trickle of water to run until they are able to complete a full repair in November when the Port Townsend Paper Company mill can shut down the water. City Manager John Mauro expressed that the emergency repair was a great example of collaboration between the city, the mill and the contractors. The temporary repair will be monitored daily by mill workers.
