Tumwater police’s 2024 year-end update shows low-level uses of force 

Tumwater Police Department’s 2024 year-end update to the city’s Public Health and Safety Committee showed it employed only low-level uses of force for most instances and a conservative approach to conducting vehicle pursuits. 

Deputy Chief Carlos Quiles Jr. told the committee on Tuesday, June 10, the department reported 49 instances of use of force in 2024. 

Of that number, four events involved an officer either striking someone, using a taser, or employing other forms of nonlethal force. 

Eighteen instances involved an officer drawing a firearm but not pointing it toward anything, which Quiles noted is a data point other police departments do not even report. 

Twenty-seven instances involved an officer grabbing someone to arrest them with handcuffs, but Quiles said such events did not involve the officer inflicting pain on the person being arrested. 

The 49 incidents involved a total of 52 individuals — 37 male and 15 female. Thirty-seven of the people did not reside in Tumwater. 

In terms of racial demographics, 45 individuals were white, six were African American, and one was of Asian descent. 

Quiles also said the department had four pursuits in 2024. He noted the department takes a highly conservative approach when deciding whether to initiate a pursuit, resulting in zero use of intervention techniques and no collisions, injuries, or arrests being associated with these pursuits. 

“The decision was made in these four pursuits that the danger to the officer in the community outweighed the risk of apprehending the suspect, so either the officer or supervisor on their own determined that the risks of these pursuits weren't warranted and they terminated it on their own,” Quiles said. 

The department made a total of 628 arrests. The most common reasons included arrests based on outstanding warrants, simple assault, shoplifting, and driving under the influence. 

The department also received 19,270 calls for service, with half being calls about suspicious persons and traffic stops. 

He added the department received two community complaints in 2024, both of which were unsustained. 

Patrol division 

As for the achievements of its operation or patrol division, Quiles mentioned working with major retail stores in the city to discuss how to curb shoplifting, as well as participating in several community events. 

Quiles highlighted that all lieutenants have acquired middle management certification from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. The department now aims to have all of its sergeants get first-level certification by the end of the year as part of its broader training goals for leadership positions. 

Quiles mentioned that the department’s K-9 unit, consisting of Thor and his handler Officer Chase Grimmett, received state certification to detect fentanyl and other narcotics, making them one of the few narcotics detection teams in the county. 

Detective division 

For its detective division, Detective Lieutenant Jennifer Kolb said they handled 219 investigations, and an additional 58 cases referred by Adult Protective Services (APS) and Child Protective Services (CPS). 

Kolb noted that not all APS and CPS cases are investigated by the department, as it relies on its partnership with both programs to determine who is best suited to handle each case. 

The division also handled several major felony cases in 2024, including a hit-and-run fatality, a robbery and kidnapping that occurred at a marijuana processing facility, multiple aggravated assaults, and multiple sex offenses.  

SRO program 

For its school resource officer (SRO) program, the department recorded a total of 463 SRO activities from September 2024 to May 2025. 

Of that number, 410 were cases that were referred to SROs by the school, students or parents, while the remainder were police-initiated. Those instances include complaints received directly by the department, calls picked up through dispatch, or referrals from CPS. 

Council Member Kelly Von Holtz inquired about how more officers could get engaged with the SRO program.  

Kolb said there are currently two SRO positions, but school districts have expressed interest in more. She said they hope to expand the program, which will depend on future budgets.