Brookhaven fire and police reports show busy month, year-over-year declines in crimes with late-year uptick

Brookhaven's fire and police chiefs presented monthly and annual summaries at the January council meeting highlighting service volumes, training and recent incidents.

Caban Fire Company Chief Montella reported four building fires in December and 35 building-fire incidents for 2025. He said the department logged 45 calls in December and 650 calls for the year, put $460,000 of property at risk in the month and approximately $5,762,000 of property endangered for the year. He described a recent hoarding-related house fire on Mount Vernon Avenue that required a defensive firefighting posture and remains under investigation; there were no firefighter injuries.

Police Chief Havoc reported 652 calls for service in December, 10 criminal cases filed with district court that month and overall declines in Part 1 and Part 2 offenses between 2024 and 2025 (Part 1 offenses fell from 236 to 175; Part 2 offenses from 327 to 162). He cautioned the department saw a late-year rise in serious offenses including robberies and burglaries and highlighted a Dec. 19 robbery that led to an arrest within 48 hours following investigative work with regional partners.

Both chiefs noted training and equipment updates: the fire company began service of a new ALS chase car and activated a new radio system; police completed firearms and use-of-force refresher training and detective SWAT courses. Council members asked about respiratory illness and flu/viral trends affecting first responders; Chief Montella said ambulance calls have increased with respiratory illness this season.

Council did not take policy action based solely on the reports; chiefs said they would provide updates as investigations or trends develop.