From major public safety milestones to controversial waterfront developments, the Des Moines City Council tackled a full agenda during its Aug. 13, 2026 meeting.
The session highlighted the debut of a new Community Engagement Officer focused on outreach, alongside encouraging crime reports from Police Chief Ted Boe showing a double-digit drop in local crime rates.
However, progress faced friction elsewhere in the city: while councilmembers unanimously advanced a new mixed-use project near Redondo Beach, a heated debate over the future of S. 223rd Street collapsed into gridlock.
New Community Engagement Officer
Des Moines has a new Community Engagement Officer, and he goes by Junior. Officer Uluao “Junior” Aumavae presented to the council on what he has been doing during his first month with the Des Moines PD, and what his plans are for community outreach. Junior said his goal is to create trust within areas of the community that tend to be neglected, in order to prevent crime. He works to create more police visibility and bridge gaps between youth and police.
He said National Night Out had a great turnout and lots of community engagement, and that he planned to do lots more “listening events” where he hears the needs directly from members of the community. One thing he pointed out is that Des Moines currently has no youth facility or kids club. He said these establishments give kids a place to go, reducing drug use and crime by 20-30%. For more on his presentation, see the above link.
Crime In Washington Report
Chief Ted Boe gave the 2025 Crime in Washington Report. He pointed out that since 2018, a new crime reporting system has been in use. This system tracks crime in a very data-rich way, compared to the old system that systematically underreported low-level crimes. This being the case, it becomes hard to compare current crime data with data from before 2018. Some crime stats will look like they have gone up but it’s just because they weren’t properly counted before 2018.
Chief Boe said auto theft has “astronomically declined” in the last few years. He said a few big-time offenders have been taken off the streets, thanks to changes in prosecution and pursuit laws. He also mentioned that the police department has an “unlimited supply” of Club steering wheel locks, which they give out to help deter auto thefts.
Boe mentioned that there was a huge spike in homicides back in 2020, and that these numbers have just gotten back down to 2019 levels. He was hesitant to celebrate this reduction, recognizing that even one victim is too many.
Staffing challenges remain high. Chief Boe explained that nobody used to resign from the police profession, but now 40% of officers don’t stay on until retirement. He said this is an industry-wide problem. In addition, Washington remains “dead last” in per capita police staffing.
Still, there is good news locally. Comparing 2025 with the prior year, there was an 18.5% reduction in overall crime. There was a 55% reduction in auto theft, a 35% reduction in vandalism, and a 21% reduction in assault. However, slight increases were seen in weapons violations, rape, and pornography offenses.
Des Moines is on the lower end of overall crimes, compared to area cities. Boe said they have had an aggressive night crew out on DUI enforcement. On the horizon for the department is a dedicated traffic officer, as well as a proactive detective position.
Council Approves Next Step In Redondo Development
The council unanimously agreed to move forward with the next stage in a proposed mixed-use development on Redondo Beach Drive, between S. 282nd Street and Redondo Way S. Plans for this 0.675 acre lot involve 1,600 square feet of retail space and up to 14 townhomes. The developers also want to reestablish the old Salty’s as a thriving restaurant, though that will be a separate project.
Included in the plan, which is still at the conception stage, is garage parking for each of the townhomes. If the council waited until next year to approve the development, state law would prohibit these per-unit parking requirements.
Public commenters asked the council to wait on this until the plan is more concrete, as there is a lot that is unknown. Of primary concern was parking. People say the popular Redondo pier already brings more visitors than there is parking for, so a creative solution needs to be found to increase parking at the waterfront.
As Deputy Mayor Gene Achziger said, we “can’t fix the problems we have in Redondo by keeping things the way that they are.” He added that most people want the waterfront restaurant to reopen, which is a future project for this developer. He said if we want to become a top waterfront community in the Pacific Northwest, we need to attract businesses to the area. This is the only offer so far for Salty’s. Councilmember JC Harris added that if this development is successful, it will improve the quality of life in Redondo and provide an uplift to the city.
Failure To Make Decision Leads To Status Quo On 223rd Street
Mayor Yoshiko Grace Matsui was unable to lead a productive discussion in what became a heated debate over the future of S. 223rd Street. The Council was given three options, with varying levels of cost and infrastructure changes. Specifics on these options can be found at the link above.
Plans were made long ago for “placemaking” along the street, beautifying and improving safety along the corridor which will connect downtown with the marina stairs. These plans have recently been “value engineered” for cheaper options, but each of those options was rejected in this discussion.
Several councilmembers proposed options #2 or #3, and variations of those options. However, the mayor made her position clear that money shouldn’t be spent on the project, even to the point of rejecting the acceptance of a grant that would fund a design that reroutes stormwater from Puget Sound. Councilmember JC Harris balked that “You don’t turn down free money,” especially for stormwater improvement.
Several split votes were taken, with each proposal failing by a slim majority. With no decision made, this leaves 223rd as it is–with disconnected sidewalks that are not ADA compliant, and no beautification or safety improvements.
