Pawtucket police report: staffing shortfalls, new canine and 58,400 calls for service in 2025
February 12, 2026 | Pawtucket, Providence County, Rhode Island
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Pawtucket Police Chief presented the department’s 2025 annual report to the City Council, outlining recruitment and equipment priorities and providing statistics on calls and arrests.
Chief Goncales said staffing and retention remained the department’s largest challenges and that the force was "about 147" officers currently, down from a target of about 153, with an expected drop toward 140 later in the year unless recruitment improves. He described efforts to recruit through grants, partnerships and a July academy, and noted the department introduced an explosives K‑9 (Kya) this year.
On operations, the chief reported roughly 58,417 calls for service in 2025, 5,856 incident reports and 2,138 arrests. He said the department is seeking grant dollars to upgrade officer radios and has instituted a new phone system. On enforcement during recent snowstorms, the chief said officers tagged and, where necessary, towed nearly 2,000 vehicles across events and explained the role of traffic trailers that collect two‑week speed data.
Councilors asked follow‑up questions about fleet rotation, towing protocols for snowbound vehicles, trailer data collection, and minority and women recruitment; the chief described active outreach to schools and explorer programs and said he hoped retention measures would reduce vacancies.
No formal action was taken; the presentation will be posted online with the department’s annual report when complete.
Chief Goncales said staffing and retention remained the department’s largest challenges and that the force was "about 147" officers currently, down from a target of about 153, with an expected drop toward 140 later in the year unless recruitment improves. He described efforts to recruit through grants, partnerships and a July academy, and noted the department introduced an explosives K‑9 (Kya) this year.
On operations, the chief reported roughly 58,417 calls for service in 2025, 5,856 incident reports and 2,138 arrests. He said the department is seeking grant dollars to upgrade officer radios and has instituted a new phone system. On enforcement during recent snowstorms, the chief said officers tagged and, where necessary, towed nearly 2,000 vehicles across events and explained the role of traffic trailers that collect two‑week speed data.
Councilors asked follow‑up questions about fleet rotation, towing protocols for snowbound vehicles, trailer data collection, and minority and women recruitment; the chief described active outreach to schools and explorer programs and said he hoped retention measures would reduce vacancies.
No formal action was taken; the presentation will be posted online with the department’s annual report when complete.
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