Analyzing Newport Police Department's crime statistics: Here's how 2023 compared to 2022

Savana Dunning, Newport Daily News
Updated ·6 min read

Newport Police Department may have responded to more calls in 2023 compared to 2022, but the latest annual report shows different kinds of criminal activity increased and decreased at different rates.

The Newport Police Department submitted its 2023 annual report to Newport City Council last week. This is a relatively new publication for the department, first implemented by Chief Ryan Duffy during his stint as interim chief in 2022 following former Chief Gary Silva’s retirement. The reports outline the department’s activity throughout the year, including the number of calls for service received, reported crime statistics and personnel actions the department has undertaken.

What the crime data says

In 2023, Newport Police Department received 1,780 more calls for service than it had in 2022, an increase of 6%. The majority of these calls for service, 48%, were initiated by officers themselves, while an additional 33% were called in via telephone. Additionally, the department made 52 more arrests than the previous year, up from 915 in 2022.

Here is a comparison of the crime statistics from 2022 to 2023, in order of most frequently reported to least:

  • Disorderly conduct decreased by 7.6% (787 in 2023, 847 in 2022)

  • Simple assault charges increased by 3.6% (312 in 2023, 301 in 2022)

  • Liquor law violations increased by 78% (155 in 2023, 87 in 2022)

  • Drug/narcotics violations remained roughly the same (72 in 2023, 73 in 2022)

  • Weapon law violations increased by 12 instances (43 in 2023, 31 in 2022)

  • Burglary/breaking and entering charges decreased by 38% (39 in 2023, 63 in 2022)

  • Aggravated assault charges increased by four instances (38 in 2023, 34 in 2022)

  • Sexual assault charges decreased by four instances (12 in 2023, 16 in 2022)

  • Robbery charges decreased by one instance (3 in 2023)

  • There were no murders reported for 2023 (two reported in 2022)

Although there was a general decrease in reported property crimes in 2023, certain crimes, such as larceny and shoplifting, saw an increase.

  • Larceny charges increased by 21.9% (233 in 2023, 191 in 2022)

  • Vandalism charges decreased by 20% (230 in 2023, 291 in 2022)

  • Shoplifting charges increased by 142% (46 in 2023, 19 in 2022)

  • Larceny from auto charges decreased by 19% (48 in 2023, 57 in 2022)

  • Theft from building charges decreased by 41% (41 in 2023, 70 in 2022)

  • Motor vehicle theft charges decreased by seven instances (13 in 2023, 20 in 2022)

  • There were no arson charges reported for 2023 (9 in 2022)

Traffic stops and violations

While the number of car accident reports remained about the same between the two years, the number of parking complaints rose by 22%. The number of motor vehicle stops also rose, as the department conducted 38% more stops than it did in 2022. The Police Department’s traffic unit reported nine fewer injuries from traffic accidents, and 11 fewer accidents involving pedestrians in 2023. However, it also reported two additional accidents involving bicycles, 14 in 2022 and 16 in 2023, and nine more accidents involving DUI. There were also three fatalities reported as a result of a car accident in 2023, just one more than had taken place the previous year.

Use of force data

In 2021, the department adopted the state’s new model use of force policy that had been adopted by several other agencies around the same time. Of the 28,166 calls for service that occurred in Newport in 2023, 114 were reported as officers using some sort of use of force, a slight decrease from the 126 that occurred in 2022. The report also counts each instance a different type of force was used by each officer while responding to a call, which can range from “weaponless physical” force to the use of a taser (or conducted electrical weapon), to drawing or discharging a firearm. Since multiple officers can respond to a call and use different kinds of force, the report counts the total number of use of force types as 241, which is an increase of 28 from the previous year.

In both years, the police used “weaponless physical” force the most often. In 2023, the Police Department reported 184 instances of officers using weaponless physical force, 24 instances of drawing their CEW, five instances of deploying the CEW and two instances of officers using the CEW’s “drive stun” mode, which is when they place the CEW against the other person’s body.

Officers drew their firearms in 26 instances, which is down from the 39 instances that occurred in 2022. However, both reports note that no member of the department discharged a firearm during the performance of their duty during either year.

Hiring remains a difficulty

One of the challenges the Newport Police Department regularly cites as a cause for concern is the difficulty it has in recruiting new officers. While there were no certified police officers hired in 2023, the department conducted two recruitment drives looking for officers who are certified by the Rhode Island Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training. Four recruits were hired from the first recruitment drive and the five selected from the second are currently attending the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy.

According to the reports, the City of Newport’s Human Resource department administers examinations for promoting officers to higher ranks, such as sergeant, lieutenant or captain, every two years in accordance with the Fraternal Order of Police’s collective bargaining agreement. In 2022, 43 officers took the tests for lieutenant and sergeant, and since the eligibility for these tests will not expire until Fall 2024, 30 officers remained eligible for this promotion in 2023: 30 Caucasian male officers, three Caucasian female officers and one Black male officer. In 2024, four of the eligible Caucasian male officers were promoted, two to the rank of sergeant and two to the rank of lieutenant. Additionally, three Caucasian male officers were appointed to new positions: detective, accreditation officer and training officer.

In 2023, the department conducted a promotional exam for the rank of captain, the eligibility list of which will expire in 2025. Four officers, all Caucasian males, took the exam.

One officer was suspended over the course of 2023. The department uses an “early intervention tracking system” called Guardian Tracking, which tracks when certain infractions or incidents occur, but also includes when an officer receives praise from a supervisor, an award or compliments from citizens. It also includes a category called “Impactful Events,” which logs when officers are involved in an event that may be “emotionally significant,” including having to perform CPR, witnessing a car accident with fatalities or significant injuries, visually shocking events and graphic reports of crimes against children. There were 42 of these impactful events logged into the system in 2023, down from 47 in 2022.

In 2023, the system logged 808 entries into the early warning system, an increase from the 504 entries it logged in 2022, and it also reported an increase in interventions, such as a supervisor meeting, counseling or disciplinary action. Interventions jumped from three in 2022 to 53 in 2023.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Newport police crime statistics: How 2023 compares to 2022