Riley County Police report five‑year lows for many crimes, name traffic enforcement a 2026 priority

Riley County Police Department leadership briefed commissioners on Jan. 15 with year‑end 2025 statistics that show several categories of crime at five‑year lows, while traffic collisions increased and will be a focus in 2026.

Brian Pete, presenting the department’s close‑out statistics, said "for part 1 crimes... we were 8% below the 5 year average for December" and that overall for 2025 Part 1 crimes were about 16% below the five‑year average; property crimes and motor‑vehicle related crimes were also at multi‑year lows, he said. Pete reported there was one homicide in December 2025 (an arrest had a suspect identified) and cited decreases in robberies and vehicle burglaries.

At the same time Pete told the board traffic accidents were roughly 14% above the five‑year average year‑to‑date; preventable traffic accidents were a five‑year high. He said the department will present traffic‑enforcement priorities to the law board next week and invited commissioner input on other crime‑reduction priorities.

The commission did not take specific action but thanked department leadership for the update. Pete also alerted commissioners about potential county‑city budget discussions to be raised at an upcoming joint meeting.

What’s next: Police will outline traffic‑enforcement priorities to the law board and incorporate commissioner feedback into the department’s strategic plan for 2026.