MLT police first- and second-quarter reports: Domestic violence down

Mountlake Terrace Police Chief Pete Caw and Cmdr. Scott King presented the department’s first- and second-quarter reports during the Aug. 28 city council meeting.

Caw stated that the department is recruiting two new officers for the force. This will bring the department back to full staff after two officers transferred.

Additionally, the department has been receiving positive feedback from residents through the Spidr Tech system, now known as Versaterm Community Connect. Caw explained that the system automatically updates 911 callers with text messages and emails. The system also asks people to provide feedback and rate the service.

Domestic violence reports have gone down during the first two quarters of 2025 compared to 2024. In the first quarter 2025, there were 50 domestic violence reports compared to last year’s 55. The second quarter of 2024 had 55 reports while 2025 had 44.

Traffic stops and infractions increased in the first and second quarters, which King attributed to the addition of a traffic officer.

Citations were down during both quarters. King said the department isn’t issuing citations for driving with a suspended license in the third degree to reduce court costs for the City. Instead, the offender is fined and given to a collections agency if they don’t pay.

Councilmember William Paige Jr. inquired about the number of arrests in relation to the city’s population. White residents make up almost 60% of the city and most of the arrests and infractions. However, Black residents make up 6% of the population, the third-highest demographic in the city behind Asians, but have the second-highest number of infractions and arrests.

“We live in metropolitan Seattle, so a good high percentage of the people we give tickets to, arrest or take any [action] against are not residents of the city,” Caw said.

Mountlake Terrace demographics:

• White: 58%
• Asian: 15%
• Black: 6%
• Some other race: 21%

Infractions by race:

First quarter:

• White: 228
• Asian: 41
• Black: 33
• Some other race: 15

Second quarter:

• White: 222
• Asian: 46
• Black: 27
• Some other race: 19

Arrests by race:

First quarter:

• White: 154
• Asian: 5
• Black: 24
• Some other race: 8

Second quarter

• White: 158
• Asian: 8
• Black: 31
• Some other race: 14

Councilmember Erin Murray said she would like to receive more comprehensive reports that span multiple years, rather than just comparing the current quarter to the previous year. This will give the council a better idea of longer-term trends, she said.

First and second quarter by the numbers

Calls for service:

• First quarter 2024: 4,972 — First quarter 2025: 6,249
• Second quarter 2024: 5,137 — Second quarter 2025: 6,377

Community-oriented policing contacts:

• First quarter 2024:798 — First quarter 2025: 431
• Second quarter 2024: 647 — Second quarter 2025: 383

Reports filed with police:

• First quarter 2024: 635 — First quarter 2025: 644
• Second quarter 2024: 625 — Second quarter 2025: 612

Traffic stops:

• First quarter 2024: 1,113 — First quarter 2025: 2,121
• Second quarter 2024: 1,362 — Second quarter 2025: 2,206

Infractions:

• First quarter 2024: 164 — First quarter 2025: 317
• Second quarter 2024: 175 — Second quarter 2025: 314

Citations:

• First quarter 2024: 84 — First quarter 2025: 72
• Second quarter 2024: 99 — Second quarter 2025: 46

Arrests:

• First quarter 2024: 171 — First quarter 2025: 191
• Second quarter 2024: 183 — Second quarter 2025: 211

Domestic Violence:

• First quarter 2024: 55 — First quarter 2025: 50
• Second quarter 2024: 55 — Second quarter 2025: 44

Vehicle Theft:

• First quarter 2024: 49 — First quarter 2025: 29
• Second quarter 2024: 27 — Second quarter 2025: 14

DUI Arrests:

• First quarter 2024: 28 — First quarter 2025: 42
• Second quarter 2024: 33 — Second quarter 2025: 32

Vehicle Prowls:

• First quarter 2024: 28 — First quarter 2025: 20
• Second quarter 2024: 12 — Second quarter 2025: 15

Burglaries:

• First quarter 2024: 31 — First quarter 2025: 22
• Second quarter 2024: 13 — Second quarter 2025: 24

Violent crimes:

• First quarter 2024: 5 — First quarter 2025: 9
• Second quarter 2024: 10 — Second quarter 2025: 12

The presentation material for the quarterly reports can be seen here.