Mayor Kim Ecklund Refutes Police Union’s Public Safety Claims

Mayor Kim Ecklund is currently addressing claims from the union that represents the police officers of Jamestown, who question the mayor’s assertion around the city’s commitment to bettering public safety. Mayor Ecklund formally made a response to a public essay issued by the Kendall Club Benevolent Association. This essay, initially published in The Post-Journal on March 1, drew criticism from several City Council members during a city council meeting that took place in the same week.

Divulged in a news release on a recent Friday, the city stated, ‘Recent declarations from the Kendall Club PBA have disseminated potentially deceptive information that might evoke unwarranted anxiety among our citizens. Factual accuracy must underpin discussions about public safety, not unfounded fears. Dissemination of misinformation ultimately does a disservice to our police officers and the public by skewing the true nature of crime trends, our force’s manning levels, and the success of safety initiatives.

It remains crucial that we consistently paint a picture of Jamestown’s public safety landscape that is both true to fact and transparent, especially in the context of contract negotiations.’ One controversial point touched upon in the association’s guest essay was the alarming number of homicide incidents occurring in the city.

In 2024, Jamestown accounted for seven out of eight recorded homicides within Chautauqua County, a number that raised eyebrows among the officials of the Kendall Club. The association officials voiced their concern by stating, ‘This is a terrifying figure—one detrimental to our leaders within the city.’

However, the city’s official stance is that this statistic alone paints a misleading picture of public safety as a whole. They argue that two incidents involved children, three were targeted occurrences due to existing altercations, criminal activity, or revenge, one involved direct confrontation, and one was a case of an unintended casualty.

Furthermore, the association highlighted the alarming increase in gun violence within the city, referring specifically to the state-issued Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) reports. Positioning at Tier 2 within the GIVE city categorization, Jamestown witnessed the largest surge in shooting incidents among its group. The number of victims escalated from four in 2023 to 10 in 2024.

Among the Tier 2 cities, only Binghamton, having an estimated population of 46,727, recorded more shooting victims — a total of 11. However, the city has a significantly larger population than Jamestown, which is home to an estimated 27,965 people.

The Kendall Club also observed a rise in Part 1 offenses from 1,016 in 2023 to 1,084 in 2024. The association noted that there had been a 44% increase in robberies, jumping from 21 cases to 39, and a nearly 20% increase in larceny—from 558 incidents to 691.

Moreover, the sum of all Part 1 crimes—comprising murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft—in 2024 indicated a 1.52% rise compared to the average of these crimes from years 2019 to 2023.

However, the city officials questioned the validity of these isolated comparisons, stating that they offer a distorted view of public safety. When it comes to understanding the patterns of crime, they maintain that a broader perspective that encompasses numerous years is essential. This approach is reflected in the data gathered directly from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Annual Public Safety Reports collated by the police chief of the city and the crime analyst.

The big picture pointed towards a decline in Part 1 offenses by nearly 26%, from 1,485 in 2014 down to 1,083 in 2024. There was a drop in rape cases from a maximum number of 48 in 2018 to 22 in 2024, and burglaries showed a substantial reduction as well—from 359 in 2012 down to a 15-year low of 151 incidents in 2024.

The overall count of motor vehicle thefts dwindled to a noteworthy low—falling from 64 in 2022 to 14 in 2024. However, there was an increase in aggravated assaults, with 2024 recording 162 cases against the 15-year average of 147.53 cases.

Concerning larceny, the total count of incidents for 2024 only exceeded the 15-year average by six, with 691 cases against a yearly average of 685.87 cases. It’s important to clarify that this crime data, similar to all data, experience some fluctuations over the years due to several distinct factors.

Crime trends may change in response to a myriad of dynamic circumstances, such as shifts in law enforcement strategies, fluctuations in the economy, societal transformations, and to the level of engagement from police officers.

City officials emphasize that assessing public safety must involve a comprehensive analysis that considers multiple years rather than singling out one year’s data. The city’s own comprehensive data analysis indicates a steady reduction in crime over the past 15 years, contradicting the narrative presented by the crime rates of a single year.