Report shows PO crime rate decreased by roughly 7% last year

Published 1:30 am Thursday, June 18, 2026

Port Orchard was a safer place to live last year as there were fewer aggravated assaults, burglaries and car thefts. Overall, the city experienced a 7.44% decrease in the crime rate compared to 2024, per Port Orchard Police Department statistics.

“We are always happy when there’s a reduction in the crime rate. It is very similar to what we’re seeing regionally, statewide and nationally,” said Port Orchard police chief Matt Brown. “Law enforcement isn’t the only component that makes an impact on crime rate. There are also societal factors. I’m not a sociologist, but hopefully people are just becoming more kind,” Brown said.

The good news about the improved crime rate did not extend to drivers with lead feet, as cops wrote significantly more tickets last year for speeding and other driving infractions.

Of total crimes in 2025, most involved property offenses, with the fewest centered on crimes against society.

Here is a breakdown, by category, of offenses reported last year: 56% involved crimes against property, 39% were offenses against persons, and 5% fell under society crimes. Property crimes include shoplifting, car thefts, and break-ins. Offenses against people involve murder, assaults, and sex offenses. Society crimes consist of drug and weapon-related offenses and DUI’s and trespassing.

A small number of crimes increased between 2024 and 2025. Misdemeanor, or simple assaults, rose from 197 in 2024 to 216 last year. Kidnapping/abductions moved up from 3 to 7. Violations of no-contact or protection orders climbed from 67 to 83.

Crimes that decreased between 2024 and last year included aggravated assaults, which dropped from 55 to 43, burglaries went from 81 to 52, while car thefts decreased from 56 to 41. Meanwhile, shoplifting incidents fell from 171 to 144 while larceny/thefts declined from 421 to 365.

Traffic citations

Traffic enforcement was a priority last year, the chief said. Officers handed out 1102 traffic citations in 2025, almost 65% more than the 669 written in 2024.

“There is good research that shows there is a direct correlation between infractions and a reduction in collisions,” Brown said, explaining the reason behind the effort.

Officers conducted emphasis patrols last year focused on speeding, DUI and cell phone use, he reported.

The chief explained how the location of the special patrols was decided: “We look at where not only people are complaining about issues, but where we are having a high volume of collisions, and that tends to be in our commercial corridor, along the Bethel corridor.”

The traffic enforcement effort was underwritten by a grant from the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, which helped cover overtime costs, he said.

Use of force

The number of times police used force against an individual decreased last year. In 2024, there were 16 such incidents. That dropped to 11 last year. These situations typically involve an officer pointing a Taser or firearm at a person or using physical force to deal with a suspect.

Since police reforms following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, POPD, as did many police departments, placed emphasis on officers using de-escalation tactics in confrontations rather than force.

“We prioritize training because better-trained officers are more confident in their skills. When you are de-escalating, presenting yourself as confident often is a component of that de-escalation,” Brown said.

The department investigates each use-of-force incident. These are often conducted by a sergeant or deputy chief, who reviews written reports and digital evidence, including body-worn camera footage, and interviews witnesses, per the department’s annual professional standards report.

Miscellaneous notes

Last year, calls to POPD dipped slightly, going from 11,109 in 2024 to 10,899 last year.

During 2025, the department was re-accredited by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). “That is pretty important to us,” the chief said. “Part of our mission is that we’ll be amongst the best. By continuing to remain accredited, allows us to continue to do that.”

Finally, staffing at the department improved over the course of 2025. The department was down four officers during parts of the year but by the end of 2025 had only one officer opening, he said.

The promising 2025 stats are a far cry from the two-year streak Port Orchard recorded in 2020 and 2021. During those years, the city had the highest crime rate in Kitsap County, the annual crime rate report of WASPC says. Crime rate statistics comparing the different police agencies in the county will come later this summer.