Port Orchard police were busy in 2022 — responding to more calls and making more than 50% more arrests than the previous year.

Still, the force reduced the number of times officers utilized “use of force,” a police department report says.

Last year there were 11 incidents when officers used force to either control or gain compliance from someone who was physically resisting arrest, officials said. That compares to 19 in 2021. Examples of using force, outlined in the 23-page report, included grabbing a suspect’s arm, using an open hand push to the subject’s face and forcing a person to the ground.

The annual review also tracked the times local law enforcement had to utilize “display of force.” That involves pointing a Taser or firearm at a subject. In 2022, there were three such incidents — twice involving a Taser and once with a gun, the report says.

The Professional Standards Report is compiled by Port Orchard police administration and is published each year on the agency’s website.

“[The report] gives us the ability to have a high-level look at how we are doing in critical areas,” Port Orchard police chief Matt Brown said. “We examine every single critical incident, such as use of force. If you look at them collectively you are able to see patterns. You are able to see if maybe we have some training gaps or it was just one thing. It’s also a good idea to be very transparent with the community.

“The only time we use force, for the most part, is for arrests. To have a 54% increase in arrests and actually have two fewer uses of force, that’s incredible,” he said.

Brown is unable to pinpoint a main reason. “It’s hard to say…Maybe it was an anomaly. Maybe next year it will be up,” he said.

The chief said officers undergo considerably more than the 24 hours of training mandated by the state. “Our officers train an average of 120 to 130 hours a year. I think the better trained you are the more likely you are to have a positive outcome on anything,” Brown said.

The training stresses that officers “team up and slow down,” he noted. “If there is a problem that needs to be resolved and can possibly result in a use of force then have another officer with you. Also, slow it down and talk to people. Spend an extra couple of minutes to try and de-escalate,” Brown said.

Having two officers can help prevent an interaction from becoming violent, he said.

There are situations when an individual refuses to cooperate, so it is helpful to have another cop on hand, he explained. “Maybe they don’t like me. I may look like a person they don’t like or maybe I was the first cop there, and they are really mad at me. Maybe they will listen to” my partner, Brown said, adding there are other times having two officers will convince the individual that trying to fight their way out of the situation is not worth it.

Brown pointed out no matter how many officers are on scene and how much talking is done there are some situations that will eventually end up being physical. “There will always be times we are going to have to use force to make an arrest because the person we are arresting gets a vote in that confrontation.”

Vehicle pursuits

The report also looks at police pursuits, and statistics show why Brown continues to seek changes in state law.

The report says Port Orchard officers weigh public safety first when determining whether to pursue a suspect.

State law was changed in 2021 that inhibits such pursuits. Officers must have probable cause that a person committed a violent or sex offense, escape, DUI or other offense where public safety risk of failing to apprehend are great than allowing a suspect to escape.

As a result, pursuits are down considerably. But suspects fleeing police have increased significantly.

In 2022, 19 vehicles eluded attempted traffic stops, compared with five in 2021.

Bias-based policing

To guard against those in blue from conducting race-based law enforcement, the annual report also monitors who police cited for traffic tickets in 2022. “The most common way police agencies have attempted to learn whether bias-based policing is systematically occurring is through the analysis of discretionary traffic stops,” the report states.

The report broke down those who received traffic tickets in the following racial groups — White, Black, Asian/Pacific Islanders, American Indian/Alaskan native, and unknown. The percentage of tickets given to members of each group was compared with the percentage each group comprises of the Port Orchard population.

In looking at criminal traffic — including driving under the influence, reckless driving and driving while license suspended — out of 57 citations written last year, six of them, or 10.5%, were given to Black motorists while Blacks make up 2.4% of the Port Orchard population. Of 272 traffic infractions, such as speeding and cell phone violations, 15 of them (5.5%), were given to Black drivers — over twice the percentage of Blacks living in Port Orchard.

Brown said he was not concerned about that margin because the overall number of tickets given to Black motorists was low and do not represent statistically significant numbers. “I don’t think it is truly genuine to say [the number of tickets given] must meet the population data from the census.

“You could also look at it from the reverse and say we need to be pulling over more Asian and Pacific Islanders. We are not pulling them over at” a rate equal to their percentage of the population. “I would never say that, but you can’t have one without the other,” he said.

Asian/Pacific Islanders make up 12.9% of the Port Orchard population, yet those in the racial group received 1.8% of the criminal traffic tickets and 5.1% of the traffic infractions.

Meanwhile, whites that comprise 75.4% of the community received 78.9% of the criminal traffic tickets and 81.3% of the traffic infractions last year. The chief added that the department did not receive any complaints regarding discrimination, racial disparity or bias in 2022.