Police Chief Mills presents Milford Police Department 2023 annual report to council

Police Chief Mills presented the Milford Police Department’s 2023 annual report to the Milford City Council, summarizing staffing changes, community outreach and department metrics.

Chief Mills told the council the report “serves as a yearly summary of Department data, statistical information and metrics that allow us to measure the effectiveness of our deliverable services.” He identified hires through lateral entry and a new school resource officer to backfill vacancies and said the department continued community programs such as Handle With Care, Thanksgiving meal distribution, and outreach events with local partners.

The chief reported the department logged approximately 142,525 patrol miles in 2023, provided 54 hours of in‑service training, filed 12,976 reports, made 510 arrests, conducted 2,938 traffic stops, investigated 264 auto accidents and issued roughly 1,776 citations. He said Part I crimes have steadily declined since 2013 but added he did not have empirical data tying the reduction to any single policing strategy.

On use of force, Chief Mills said the department recorded two response‑to‑resistance incidents in 2023; both involved suspects who refused to comply with lawful orders and required weaponless tactics. He said both incidents were reviewed and that no citizen complaints resulted. “The low frequency and high‑risk nature of these incidents means we continually train on de‑escalation and review each instance through our chain of command,” he said.

Chief Mills also reported there were no vehicle pursuits initiated by Milford officers in 2023 and described the department’s administrative review process for any pursuit or use‑of‑force incident. He told the council internal affairs activity for 2023 included one investigation stemming from a citizen complaint and one internal complaint initiated by command staff.

Looking ahead to 2024, the chief said the department’s priorities include training every officer in Project Lifesaver so the city has immediate response capacity, expanding fraud‑prevention presentations at senior living facilities to address tech‑support scams, and continuing efforts to reduce underage tobacco and vape sales through stings and business outreach. Sergeant West was credited with building the department’s wellness program and peer support team.

Council thanked Chief Mills for the presentation; no formal council action was required on the report and business moved on to other agenda items.