Mayor Kim Ecklund is fighting back against allegations made by the union representing Jamestown police officers critical of the mayor’s statements that the city is investing in public safety.

Late Friday, Ecklund issued a response to the guest essay by the Kendall Club Benevolent Association published March 1 in The Post-Journal. The essay was criticized by City Council members during this week’s City Council meeting.

“However, recent public statements from the Kendall Club PBA–including a letter to The Post-Journal, and various social media posts from their publicity campaign–present misleading information that may cause unnecessary concern among residents,” the city said in a news release Friday afternoon. “Public safety discussions must be grounded in facts, not fear. Misinformation does a disservice to both our officers and the public by distorting crime trends, staffing levels, and the effectiveness of safety initiatives. It is essential that we provide an accurate and transparent picture of public safety in Jamestown, particularly during contract negotiations.”

HOMICIDES

In 2024, seven of eight homicides in Chautauqua County took place in Jamestown, Kendall Club officials said in their guest essay.

“That is a shocking number, and it should be unacceptable to our city leaders,” Kendall Club officials said.

City officials said those numbers are misleading when talking about public safety, however, because two of the homicides involved children, three were targeted incidents involving pre-existing disputes, criminal activity or retaliation, one involved a confrontation and another was an unintended victim.

“To provide a clear comparison, by this time in 2024, Jamestown had already experienced two fatal shootings — on January 24 and March 18 — as well as two additional gun discharges,” the city said in its release. “As of today in 2025, no such incidents have been reported. The early surge in gun violence in 2024 was abnormal, whereas the current trend in 2025 is more in line with historical patterns.”

GUN VIOLENCE

The union also pointed to the same Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) reports issued by New York state that The Post-Journal has used in its reporting over the past several years. Jamestown, a Tier 2 GIVE city, experienced the largest increase in shootings going from four victims in 2023 to 10 in 2024. Gun deaths increased from one in 2023 to four in 2024. Both are the largest increases among the Tier 2 group which also includes the town of Amherst, Auburn, Binghamton, Cheektowaga, Elmira, the town of Greece, Ithaca, Jamestown, Kingston, Lackawanna, Middletown, Spring Valley, and Watertown. Only Binghamton, which according to the 2023 census has an estimated population of 46,727, had more shooting victims – 11 – than Jamestown which has an estimated population of 27,965 also according to the 2023 census.

The city said the state has changed the way it tracks gun-involved violence over the years, but said reckless firearms discharges shouldn’t be misclassified.

“Reckless firearm discharges, while concerning, should not be misclassified as targeted gun violence, as doing so creates unnecessary alarm. Any concerns regarding these statistics should be addressed through appropriate state channels (Albany),” the city said.

CRIME TRENDS

Part 1 offenses, the Kendall Club notes, increased from 2023 to 2024 from 1016 to 1,084. From year to year, robberies increased 44% from 21 to 39, larcenies increased 19.88% from 558 to 691. All Part 1 crimes – murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle thefts – increased 1.52% in 2024 compared to the average of Part 1 crimes from 2019 through 2023.

“However, if Jamestown is once again going to be a desirable place to live it starts with making sure that its residents and those who might consider moving here feel safe,” the union said in its essay. “So, when you hear City Hall claim that it is enhancing public safety don’t believe it. City Hall officials must face the reality that Jamestown faces a public safety crisis.”

City officials take a longer view of crime in their analysis. Data sourced directly from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services and the 2010-2024 Annual Public Safety Reports compiled by the city police chief and crime analyst show Part 1 offenses have decreased 25.92% from 1,485 in 2014 to 1,083 in 2024. Rape cases decreased from a peak of 48 in 2018 to 22 in 2024, burglaries decrease from 359 in 2012 to 151 in 2024, a 15-year low, and motor vehicle thefts are at a historic low, decreasing from 64 in 2022 to 14 in 2024.

The city had a peak of 55 robberies in 2015 but tends to average 35.27 over 15 years. There were 39 in 2024. The city had 162 aggravated assaults in 2024, over the 15-year average of 147.53, while the 2024 total of 691 larcenies is six more than the 15-year average of 685.87 a year.

“Public safety must be examined through multi-year trends rather than isolated comparisons. A single year’s data does not define a trend–crime rates fluctuate due to various factors, including enforcement strategies, economic conditions, societal changes, and officer engagement. When analyzed comprehensively, the data clearly shows a steady decline in crime over the past decade and a half.”