Violent crime up, property crime down

Brentwood police chief gives update

By Jake Menez Staff Writer

BRENTWOOD Although property crime in Brentwood is decreasing, the number of violent crimes rose, according to a presentation by Police Chief Tim Herbert.

The presentation, part of the March 28 Brentwood City Council meeting, covered topics such as crime rates in the city as well as statistics about the size of the police department and the average response times from the report of a crime to when an officer arrives on the scene.

“The purpose of this report is to hold ourselves accountable, be transparent to our community and to also assess staffing needs,” Herbert explained.

The rise in violent crime, Herbert said, can be attributed to a rise in the number of simple assaults between 2021 and 2022. While the violent crime rate in Brentwood rose by 10.57%, there was less than a 1% increase in violent crime if simple assaults were excluded from the data. Simple assault is defined as a battery against a person that does not amount to serious bodily injury and no use of a deadly weapon. The number of these rose from 378 incidents in 2021 to 440 in 2022.

While the rise in violent crime was explainable, Herbert did not have a clear-cut answer for the decrease in property crime. He said one possible reason was less reporting of property crimes.

“Either businesses that are being vic- tims of thefts aren’t calling or citizens that are victims of thefts from ‘21 to ‘22 just feel that nothing can be done or nothing’s gonna be done even if the person is arrested. So they’re not calling,” he said. “It’s too hard to understand.”

The percentage of cases solved in Brentwood is comparable to rates nationwide, according to Herbert, who presented the council with a table showing clearance rates (the percentage of cases solved) for various crimes. Among the statistics were a 100% clearance rate for murder, 6% for auto theft and 53% for assault. Over the last 10 years, the amount of crime in the city has stayed relatively consistent, Herbert said.

One concern Herbert said was the need for more officers. The department has 50 sworn officers, 5 of whom are out with job-related injuries. Six more open positions have not been filled. Councilmember Tony Oerlemans, a retired police officer, asked Herbert if the number of applications for openings was down compared to five years ago. Herbert answered that there are fewer people seeking roles in law enforcement compared to then due to the “climate” around policing.”

“I don’t have exact numbers, but it was much easier five years ago to hire, especially entry-level officers,” Herbert said. “We had more people interested in becoming police officers and wanting to be in this profession.”

Herbert ended his presentation by thanking the council for their support since he took over the role of police chief last year.

The full presentation can be watched online as part of the March 28 council meeting at https://bit.ly/41iPczU