On Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, Des Moines Police Chief Ken Thomas released a statement addressing fighting crime along Pacific Highway South.

That area has seen a spike in crime over the last few months, and many residents have expressed concern, especially over fatal shootings.

Thomas said he wanted to provide people with am update on “what we have done since the beginning of the year as we focus on this area. Keep in mind that we want to provide a solution to these issues that we sustain for the long-term. This will take time but we are committed to doing it right.”

Beginning in January, the department’s Special Investigations Unit expanded specifically to address homeless and mental health outreach as well as violent crime along Pacific Highway South. This unit is now comprised of a Detective Sergeant, two Street Crimes Detectives, one Code Enforcement Officer and the GPS Team, including one civilian Community Service Officer and two civilian Crisis Response Specialists.

“Although this unit is in its early development, it has already accomplished a great amount of success,” Thomas said, including a new GPS UNIT (Getting People Services), a Code Enforcement Officer, and a Patrol Division.

The following are some statistics that outline Des Moines Police activity since the beginning of the year:

    • Dedicated Patrol Emphasis Hours: 66
    • Arrests: 5
    • Referrals to homeless and mental health resources: 13
    • Warnings: 23
    • Suspicious Vehicles Contacted: 35
    • Traffic Stops (not traffic unit): 23
    • Stolen Vehicle Recoveries: 11
    • Response to Unwanted persons calls: 18

“We have additional plans to further partner and enhance our services and enforcement along Pacific Highway South,” Thomas added. “We are committed to making this area a place where people feel safe to live and work.”

Here’s the Chief’s full statement:

A Message to the Des Moines Community,

The Des Moines Police Department has taken a leadership role to address crime, disorder and quality of life issues along Pacific Highway South. I want to provide you with a quick update on what we have done since the beginning of the year as we focus on this area. Keep in mind that we want to provide a solution to these issues that we sustain for the long-term. This will take time but we are committed to doing it right.

Special Investigations Unit
Beginning in January, the Special Investigations Unit expanded specifically to address homeless and mental health outreach as well as violent crime along Pacific Hwy South. This unit is now comprised of a Detective Sergeant, two Street Crimes Detectives, one Code Enforcement Officer and the GPS Team, including one civilian Community Service Officer and two civilian Crisis Response Specialists. Although this unit is in its early development, it has already accomplished a great amount of success:

GPS UNIT (Getting People Services) – We have already assigned one Community Service Officer and are currently conducting the background investigation on one Crisis Response Specialist that we hope to hire very soon. We are still searching for a second Crisis Response Specialist and are actively conducting application review and interviews. This team has already conducted a Crime Analysis for the past year within the emphasis area. Our Unit will use this Analysis to focus our outreach and enforcement. We have also created a new “Homeless and Mental Health Resource Guide” for use by members of our Unit, along with Patrol, to hand-out to people in need of these services. So far this month, we have reached out to 12 people with homeless needs and 5 people with mental health needs. We are planning a meeting in February for business and community members to attend to address criminal activity and quality of life issues on Pacific Hwy S within the emphasis area.

CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER – Our goal is to contact each business and property owner within the emphasis area to ensure we have up-to-date contact information and confirmed Trespass Contracts, if wanted. So far, we have contacted 24 owners. We are also addressing hotels/motels for violations of Des Moines Municipal Code and quality of life issues. We are specifically working with two of these businesses with high rates of violations. There are several derelict properties, including a former car wash, which have turned into homeless camps and areas to dump trash. We are currently working with our legal department to enforce Municipal Code and force these property owners to clean up and secure these properties. So far this month, we have contacted and warned 28 people for trespassing and 36 for pedestrian violations.

STREET CRIMES DETECTIVES – These detectives have been assigned to investigate crimes within the emphasis area, as well as coordinating proactive investigations towards Human Trafficking, Firearm Violations, Drug Crimes and other Violent Crime. We have already established working relationships with ATF, FBI and DEA, as well as the Federal Way, Kent and Tukwila Police Departments to assist us in conducting these operations. In January so far, these detectives filed 4 felony cases, participated in 2 operations, and seized 100 Fentanyl pills. An Extreme Risk Protection Order was also served where they took possession of 15 firearms. They also assisted in two vehicle/pedestrian collisions, one being fatal. We also assisted with investigations concerning the shooting of a 14 year old male and the shooting of a dog. They are currently out looking for a suspect with a $50,000 arrest warrant for Commercial Sexual Abuse of a Minor. These cases are under active investigation and we hope to release more information soon.

Patrol Division
Our patrol division has been very busy over the past few weeks. Our officers have taken 49 case reports in the emphasis area. We have also added an officer to focus on traffic safety enforcement primarily in our emphasis area. The following are some statistics that outline our activity since the beginning of the year:

    • Dedicated Patrol Emphasis Hours: 66
    • Arrests: 5
    • Referrals to homeless and mental health resources: 13
    • Warnings: 23
    • Suspicious Vehicles Contacted: 35
    • Traffic Stops (not traffic unit): 23
    • Stolen Vehicle Recoveries: 11
    • Response to Unwanted persons calls: 18

We have additional plans to further partner and enhance our services and enforcement along Pacific Highway South. We are committed to making this area a place where people feel safe to live and work.

Thank you,
Ken Thomas
Chief of Police
City of Des Moines