Salem Crime Down, Homelessness A 'Major Issue': Police Chief

SALEM, MA — While crime — including violent crime — was down significantly in the Witch City, homelessness remains a "major issue," Salem Police Chief Lucas Miller said in his annual state-of-the-department report released this week.

Miller said that overall crime was down 11 percent year over year, which he said was consistent with patterns across the region and country, and that violent crime was down 24 percent — more than twice the national reduction.

Despite that, he said, there were increases in trespassing, intimidation and narcotics cases, and that arrests overall were up 10 percent to 938 people.

Miller said he is satisfied that arrest demographics "do not indicate biased policing," with 64 percent of arrests white people, 22 percent Latino/Latina, 13 percent Black and 1 percent Asian.

The homelessness concern, he said, is "not a problem that we can arrest our way out of" but one in which the police have an important role.

"With the warmer weather, we will spend more time in targeted locations, including in the woods, doing both outreach and law enforcement," he said.

Miller advocated for a full-time Animal Control Officer and that it is expanding the part-time Domestic Violence Coordinator to a full-time position.

"I believe that this position is vital to adequately serving DV victims, whose cases need to be handled with utmost sensitivity and patience," he said.

The Salem Police Department currently has 92 sworn officers and two more in the academy.

"Staffing is made more challenging by budgetary realities, but it is clear to me that both the mayor and the City Council share my commitment to public safety," he said