BEND, OR -- Bend’s Police Chief is looking ahead to changes in 2023. Chief Mike Krantz says calls for service increased about 4% last year, yet the department remains at least five officers full of what's needed to respond to the current call load. He hopes Deschutes County’s Mobile Crisis Response Team will soon be ready to act, to reduce the number of times officers respond to non-law enforcement issues. "They’ve been really working forward, and we’ve been supporting the idea that they’re going to respond without law enforcement to certain calls that meet a criteria - that aren’t dangerous, there’s no weapons involved, but that are more the crisis-type calls." 

Krantz also hopes new gadgets will help close the gap, "We know that it’s going to be challenging to staff full-time personnel to the numbers that we truly need to respond to everything. But if we can use technology to the best advantage to increase the effectiveness and optimize the systems we have and the people we have, that’s what we look for." He says he doesn’t want to invest in toys, and will focus on technology proven to enhance police work, like drones. The department also plans to build on the body-cam system purchased in 2021, "This year we’re installing the in-vehicle camera systems, that is a partner to that body-worn camera system and they work together. The ability to use technology to really increase our effectiveness is what we look for." He adds, "Something we introduced this year, that hasn’t been utilized yet, is something called a BolaWrap. It’s similar looking, like a taser, but it simply deploys two wires that wrap around people’s feet or legs, when we need to do a restraint from a distance."

Krantz says hiring has improved. BPD started the year five officers shy of its ideal level; compared to 21 short, 18 months ago. He tells KBND News, "2023 is about growth, about meeting where we need to be in personnel, and continuing to work with our newly elected overall City Council body." Chief Krantz expects to be heavily involved in City Council’s upcoming budgeting process. 

Visit KBND's Podcast Page to hear our full conversation with BPD Chief Mike Krantz.