May 5, 2025
Greetings Kitsap County citizens,
I am pleased to provide the following annual report of the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office for 2024. This report should give you an insight into the work our agency and its members are performing on behalf of our community. It highlights some of the great work being accomplished and efforts being made to improve the agency going forward and provide the services you expect from your Sheriff's Office.
The last few years have been very dynamic and challenging. The pandemic had major and ongoing impacts. We have also had historic staffing turnover occurring over the last four years. We have also absorbed the significant police reform efforts that have occurred and are still coming. We have gone through profound changes and challenges. Our members stay dedicated to adapting and moving forward. They are committed to our community.
Crime rates have been in flux in the last several years as well. Crime numbers increased substantially in 2022 and 2023, but many have moderated slightly in 2024. Our website provides ongoing crime statistics. Areas of concern include the number of violent crimes we are seeing in domestic violence, and we have seen youth and young adults committing crimes with weapons in higher numbers. Additionally, the high number of impaired driving cases, together with more reports of reckless and negligent driving, has led to a higher number of collisions, serious collisions, and fatal collisions recently.
In addition to our efforts in our core business of providing 9-1-1 response and addressing crime through our patrol and detectives' efforts, we continue to provide outreach and education, and those have been significant in 2024 as we have attended more community meetings. We held outreach and education events and have partnered with many different groups to build connections, share information, and work closely with our community.
Looking forward, staffing and resources are a major concern. Currently, Washington State ranks 50 out of 50 states for officers per 1,000 population. The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office ranks near the bottom of Washington State agencies when considering the same ratio. Kitsap County is growing, and the expectation for services has been high. Growth will most likely increase the calls for service and demand for service soon. Additionally, our county government faces a budget shortfall in the coming years, and even maintaining current services may be challenging.
I look forward to providing our citizens with a level of service to meet their expectations and working with them to reach our shared goals.
Sheriff John Gese
2024 KCSO Annual Report
