When Robert Goetz was sworn in as Everett’s new police chief on January 7, 2026, he brought with him something that not every new top cop carries through the door: 35 years of institutional memory about the community he now leads. He rose through nearly every operational and administrative rank inside the Everett Police Department before Mayor Cassie Franklin appointed him to succeed retiring Chief John DeRousse. And from day one, Goetz has been clear about what he wants the department to look like — more embedded in the community, smarter about technology, and leaner on vacancies.
The early indicators suggest the strategy is working. Crime rates across Everett continued a multi-year downward trend through 2025, with violent crime dropping by more than 30 percent and vehicle thefts falling 70 percent compared to the prior year, according to data cited by Mayor Franklin at the 2026 State of the City address. Meanwhile, the department’s drone program — launched in October 2025 — is already clearing calls without dispatching a single officer. Here’s a closer look at what’s changing at EPD and what it means for residents.
A New Chief With Deep Everett Roots
Robert Goetz isn’t new to Everett. He spent more than three decades with the department before Mayor Franklin tapped him for the top job in late 2025. He has worked in virtually every corner of the organization — patrol, specialty units, and administrative leadership — which means he arrived as chief without needing a long orientation period.
In a Q&A with the Everett Post shortly after his swearing-in, Goetz described his approach: a community-oriented department that meets people where they are, not just when someone calls 911. That means officers showing up at community events, parks during summer months, and neighborhood gatherings — building relationships before a crime ever happens.
It’s a meaningful shift in emphasis for a department that, like many mid-sized city police forces, has faced pressure to do more with constrained staffing. The Lynnwood Times, covering Goetz’s appointment in January 2026, described his philosophy as centered on a department that is “embedded in its community” and “meets youth where they are.”
Staffing: Getting Vacancies Into Single Digits
One of Goetz’s most concrete short-term goals is staffing. When he took over, the department carried about 13 to 14 open positions. His stated target for 2026: get that number into single digits.
It’s not just a headcount goal. Fewer vacancies means more officers available for community engagement assignments, specialty units, and the kind of proactive policing that Goetz has prioritized. The department also recently promoted eight people to Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Deputy Chief — a round of promotions that signals both organizational investment and career pathway development for officers already in the ranks.
For residents, this matters practically: more officers means more coverage across Everett’s neighborhoods and a department better positioned to sustain programs like the Violent Crime Reduction Unit, which Mayor Franklin credited with driving down violent crime numbers since its 2023 launch.
The Drone Program: Flying to Calls Before Cars Can Get There
Perhaps the most visible operational change under EPD’s new direction is the Drone as First Responder program, which launched in October 2025 after the Everett City Council approved a $507,000 contract with Flock Safety in April 2025.
The concept is straightforward: when a 911 call comes in, a drone can launch immediately from one of four precinct locations — two at the north precinct, two at the south precinct — and fly over traffic at roughly 50 miles per hour, reaching scenes in about 90 seconds. A patrol car navigating Everett streets in traffic might take four minutes for the same distance. The drone arrives first, gives officers a live visual of the scene, and in some cases resolves the situation entirely without a patrol unit ever leaving the lot.
Since the program launched in October, the results have been measurable. According to EPD’s public drone flight dashboard, 87 calls were cleared without dispatching a patrol resource at all. In total, the drones have helped locate nearly 200 people across various incident types. The department is now expanding the program to add drones at a central Everett location — on top of a local business — which will improve coverage across the city’s core neighborhoods.
The Flock Safety contract also includes Flock 911, which streams live 911 call transcripts to patrol officers and drone pilots simultaneously, improving situational awareness before anyone arrives on scene.
What the Crime Numbers Actually Say
Crime statistics require careful reading, and Goetz has been measured in how he talks about them. The headline figures are genuinely positive: overall crime in Everett trended down across 2025, with violent crime on pace to hit its lowest rate in seven years, according to EPD’s report to the City’s Community Health and Safety Committee in July 2025. Vehicle thefts dropped 70 percent — a dramatic reversal of a trend that had frustrated residents and businesses for years.
Mayor Franklin highlighted these numbers in her March 5, 2026 State of the City address, noting that crime overall decreased more than 20 percent from 2024 to 2025.
Department leadership credits several overlapping efforts: the Violent Crime Reduction Unit, a graffiti paint-over initiative launched in 2025, community-oriented patrol assignments, and increasingly effective use of technology including the Flock camera network (the City Council extended the Flock camera contract alongside the drone program approval in April 2025).
One important note for context: Everett’s crime rate remains above national averages on some measures. The downward trend is meaningful, but it reflects progress on a baseline that still has room to improve. Goetz has acknowledged this framing — the goal isn’t just to celebrate declining numbers, but to sustain and accelerate the trend through the community-first model he’s building.
Youth Violence: Prevention First, Enforcement Last
One area where Goetz has been especially vocal is youth. His stated approach — prevention first, intervention where possible, and enforcement as a last resort — puts youth violence reduction at the center of EPD’s strategic direction. This aligns with a framework Mayor Franklin has emphasized across multiple budget cycles.
In practice, the prevention model means officers assigned to youth engagement, department relationships with schools, and outreach programs designed to build trust between young Everett residents and law enforcement before any conflict arises. The idea is that a different kind of public safety ecosystem emerges when relationships are built early — one that doesn’t rely solely on reactive policing.
What Residents Should Watch For in 2026
Based on Chief Goetz’s stated priorities and the department’s current trajectory, here are the key indicators residents can track to assess EPD’s progress this year.
- Vacancy count: Is EPD hitting its goal of single-digit open positions? The department publishes staffing data on its Community Transparency Dashboard at everettwa.gov.
- Drone program expansion: The planned addition of central Everett drones should be operational in 2026. EPD’s public drone flight dashboard tracks call clearance data in real time.
- Violent crime trends: Sustaining and deepening the 2025 crime reduction gains through 2026 will be the real test of the current strategy.
- Youth programs: Any new partnerships, school programs, or community engagement initiatives Goetz announces will signal how the prevention-first philosophy is being operationalized.
- City Council oversight: The Council’s Community Health and Safety Committee continues to receive regular EPD briefings. Agendas are posted at everettwa.gov/AgendaCenter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the new Everett Police Chief?
Robert Goetz was sworn in as Everett’s Chief of Police on January 7, 2026. He was appointed by Mayor Cassie Franklin and brings more than 35 years of service with the Everett Police Department.
What happened to former Chief John DeRousse?
Chief John DeRousse retired at the end of 2025 after leading EPD. Mayor Franklin appointed Deputy Chief Robert Goetz as his successor.
How does Everett’s Drone as First Responder program work?
When a 911 call is received, a drone launches from one of EPD’s precinct locations and reaches a scene in approximately 90 seconds — significantly faster than a patrol car. The drones provide live video of the scene and in some cases resolve calls without dispatching an officer at all. EPD’s drone flight data is publicly available on its transparency dashboard.
Is crime going down in Everett?
Yes. Everett reported a more than 20 percent overall crime reduction from 2024 to 2025, and violent crime was on pace to reach its lowest rate in seven years. Vehicle thefts dropped 70 percent. Everett’s overall crime rate remains above national averages, but the downward trend has been sustained over multiple years.
How many officers does the Everett Police Department have?
EPD had approximately 13 to 14 vacancies when Chief Goetz took over in January 2026. His goal is to reduce that number to single digits by end of year. Current staffing data is available on EPD’s Community Transparency Dashboard at everettwa.gov.
Where can I follow EPD’s public data?
The City of Everett maintains a Community Transparency Dashboard at everettwa.gov/2862/Community-Transparency-Dashboard with data on crime, calls for service, and drone deployments.
Sources: Everett Post Q&A with Chief Goetz (January 2026); Lynnwood Times Chief Goetz profile (January 13, 2026); HeraldNet “Behind the Badge” (2026); Mayor Franklin 2026 State of the City address (March 5, 2026); HeraldNet “Everett’s Drone as First Responder program underway” (March 14, 2026); EPD Community Transparency Dashboard; City of Everett official website (everettwa.gov).