Keizer city leaders last summer remarked how they often heard from residents that public safety in town was a top concern.
They formed a new city task force to look at the issue. City councilors are considering whether to ask taxpayers for more money to bolster the Keizer Police Department.
But an analysis by the Keizertimes of crime reports shows that the community has generally become more safe in recent years. Total crimes handled by officers is down from a peak in 2022 along with arrests, according to annual figures provided by Keizer police.
Chief Andrew Copeland said his agency now senses a leveling off of crime after dropping steadily since the high point during the Covid pandemic.
In an interview, Copeland said his agency is nearing full staffing for the first time in years. He said Keizer residents can expect to see officers more actively patrolling trouble areas.
And he expects his officers to boost the number of crimes solved.
The agency’s patrol officers, detectives and community service officers in 2024 responded to about 20,000 calls for service.
“That’s a lot of what we do,” Copeland said.
Most calls don’t rise to criminal conduct, such as a complaint about a barking dog.
His agency’s statistics back him up. Of the 20,000 calls to police in 2024, 2,262 were booked as crimes.
Circumstances during the pandemic drove criminal conduct “through the roof,” Copeland said.
He noted schools were shut down as were many businesses and government offices. Normal life was disrupted month after month, and that included police practices.
Few of those arrested were held, Copeland said.
“Nobody was going to jail. There was no accountability,” he said.
As the pandemic eased, schools reopened. That proved a challenge for school administrators, the community – and the police.
Copeland said police responded to juvenile fights daily.
“It was out of control,” he said.
Keizer police clamped down hard on youth activity, particularly watching for gang-related conduct. McNary High School agreed to go to a closed campus for lunch, keeping students at school instead of being free to leave for the meal period.
Copeland said his agency took an aggressive stance with suspects. That generated a sense on the streets that Keizer wasn’t easy pickings.
He recounted a recent instance where a man driving a stolen car was detected shoplifting at Keizer Station. The thief headed for the freeway – into oncoming traffic – with a Keizer officer in pursuit. The officer used his patrol car to end the chase.
The thief was quick to remark on Keizer, Copeland said.
“The first thing he said is you know you don’t mess with the Keizer Police Department or the Texas Rangers,” referring to a legendary law enforcement unit, Copeland said.
He said shoplifting is an example of Keizer’s practice.
Some police agencies don’t respond to a merchant’s call about a shoplifter – or won’t arrest one when caught.
In Keizer, thieves don’t get just a citation, to be sent on their way, Copeland said.
He said criminals who get just a citation move on to other areas, never appearing in court. The “failure to appear” charges can mount up, he said.
“In Keizer, we at least make the offender a little more uncomfortable for a couple of hours of their life,” Copeland said. “They are arrested, we drive them to jail and you have to find your own way back. At least you get a time out.”
He said his agency focuses on solving problems in Keizer. He gets a monthly report on the top five trouble spots in town, such as a surge in car break-ins. He also gets the top five suspected offenders. His staff is expected to home in on those.
“We come up with a game plan hitting those issues,” Copeland said.
As patrol strength has built, officers are being more active in seeking out problems in Keizer.
An officer with time might park and watch the rear door of a major retailer, watching for a thief to come rolling out with a shopping cart of stolen goods.
“Boom – we got ‘em,” said Copeland. “That happens quite a bit.”
His agency gets plenty of complaints about loud vehicles or cars driving too fast on River Road. He said police can’t resolve the traffic congestion on Keizer’s main roadway but officers can act against those making the drive even more troublesome with their conduct.
Copeland said his agency does well in solving major crimes, meaning arresting or at least identifying the offender in assaults, robberies and sex abuses.
He intends the agency to do better now at solving other crimes that may not make headlines but violate citizens’ sense of safety.
He said the most important number to him in the crime statistics is the “clearance” rate.
“How are we doing? Are we able to solve crime or not solve crime?” he said.
He said the clearance rate is a “good measure” of performance by Keizer police.
Some cases are challenging to solve and not always because of police work. He said officers once could send fingerprints or DNA swabs from motor vehicle break-ins to state crime labs. The state no longer processes such cases.
In 2024, according to crime reports, Keizer police recorded 105 thefts from motor vehicles. Just six were listed as cleared, with four people arrested.
Copeland said he wants officers to redouble efforts to clear such cases.
“Let’s do a better job,” he said, using neighborhood surveillance in areas getting hit.
The clearance rate for burglaries is “one that bothers me greatly,” Copeland said.
A burglary is a crime where “you feel violated. You take that very deeply and personally,” he said.
In 2024, the city recorded 71 burglaries and break-ins. Just 13 were cleared – 18% of the reported crimes.
“I want us closer to 60 percent,” the chief said.
He said a detective is being tasked to such property crimes and community service officers will be helping clear such cases, adding investigative muscle to the patrol forces.
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