CANTON ‒ Violent crime and property crime decreased last year compared to 2023, Police Chief John Gabbard told City Council on Monday. Overall, the number of reports decreased 3%.
“For the size of our city, for the challenges we’ve been faced with, we’re making significant progress,” he said.
The police chief contrasted last year’s five homicides to the high of 21 in 2021. He said all homicides that occurred since he became chief in 2022 have been solved.
“One is too many,” Gabbard said. “I don’t stand on a soapbox and cheer for low numbers because that’s five individuals that meant a lot to the families and to their community.”
Compared to 2023: Canton homicides drop in 2024, remain the same outside Stark County’s largest city
Gabbard acknowledged that robberies and domestic violence both increased last year compared to 2023, but said they were down over the average of the last five years.
“Domestic violence … it is the crime category that is most prevalent among our citizens in Canton, and in most cities,” he said, adding that it is difficult to address.
The 2024 increase in domestic violence, up to 1,041 incidents, was 59 more than in 2023. In 2019, there were 1,157 incidents.
The 2024 increase in robberies, 9%, meant there were six more than in 2023. Meanwhile, other categories that declined and by how much were: rape (24%), menacing (5%), aggravated burglary (16%), felonious assault (24%) and assault (3%).
Gabbard identified strategies contributing to the overall reduction in crime: the department’s Coordinated Response Team, directed enforcement, cameras, walking beats, community engagement and community education.
“I think that what we’ve done is managed our resources well, and … we have exceptional officers who work exceptionally well for this community,” he said. He also cited help from council and nonprofits. The removal of certain houses from neighborhoods contributed to the drop in burglaries and break-ins.
“Our population has gone down. That has to be a factor,” Gabbard said.
Canton Police Chief John Gabbard tells Canton City Council members on Monday that putting officers on walking beats has helped to reduce crime.
Ward 7 Councilman John Mariol II asked Gabbard if the cameras aimed at public spaces around the city serve as a force multiplier, compensating for the short staffing.
“I think they are,” Gabbard said. “Now there’s no replacement for an officer in uniform who responds and handles it. But it absolutely does help with finding individuals. We have found murder suspects. We have found robbery suspects.”
He said the cameras increased the speed and efficiency in solving crimes.
Ward 9 Councilman Frank Morris III presented a different view.
“I’m irritated with the fact that our response times for the minor things are so long that I think people are at the point where they’re not calling anymore,” he said. “I’ve got that feedback in Market Heights. I’ve gotten that feedback in Vassar (Park), that, ‘Why even call?'”
Gabbard said staffing is an issue, but he added more avenues for reporting. He said response times are not up significantly in any category.
Morris asked Gabbard about making it possible for residents to file complaints online.
Gabbard said he loves the idea, and will return to council when he finds workable software for the purpose.
In response to questions from Mariol, the police chief said short-staffing remains a problem, caused both by difficulty in recruiting and the loss of experienced officers to higher-paying positions elsewhere. He said one officer who recently left to work in Norton expects to earn $90,000 a year and do half the work he did in Canton. The city currently has 153 uniformed officers, including 10 in training. The department’s authorized strength is 175.
When Gabbard joined the department in 1998, he said, new hires had already been trained and worked in other departments.
“Nobody goes to the academy on their own dime anymore,” he said.
Is Canton less violent? City’s crime numbers decrease in 2023
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @nmolnarTR.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton crime down last year, including homicides, which dropped to 5