Opinion: MPD annual report — keeping us safe

At 6:15 p.m., after most people were seated, Police Chief Gino Chiaramonte welcomed residents of Madera to the Town Hall meeting at South High School. It was an uncharacteristically chilly March 18 outside, but it was warm — both in terms of Fahrenheit and camaraderie — inside. About 100 people were present. Four members of our City Council were in attendance, including Mayor CeCe Gallegos and councilmen Steve Montes, Artemio Villegas, and Rohi Zacharia. City Manager Arnoldo Rodriguez and former councilman Donald Holley were also present.

Most of us were seated at roundtables with other community members, and each of us had been supplied with a copy of the Madera Police Department 2024 Annual Report. Chief Chiaramonte had visual aids (including a brief video) to keep our attention focused. 

The initial graphic showed that, in 2024, overall crime decreased seven percent. Last year, our city police had to deal with 65,073 dispatched calls for service, 10,121 traffic stops, 5,487 total arrests, 293 DUI arrests, seven fatality collisions, and two homicides. Additionally, there were 32,424 officer self-initiated calls. Our police department handled all of this with 74 sworn officers and 34 professional staff employees.