Riley County Police Director Brian Pete told the Manhattan City Commission on Tuesday that August showed mixed crime indicators, including a rise in some violent incidents but overall Part‑1 crime levels that the department described as near prior averages. He also discussed plans to analyze Aggieville road restrictions and an ongoing homelessness working group.

Pete said the department’s Part‑1 crime tally for the reporting period was roughly 2% below its five‑year average but about 12% higher than the same month last year, and he separately said August’s violent‑crime figures were about 50% above the five‑year violent‑crime average. “You have to keep in mind what those statistics are as far as context,” Pete said, explaining that percentage changes can look large when counts are small.

He gave specific counts for August: 14 aggravated assaults or batteries, three robberies and one homicide described as a preventable vehicle‑related accident. Pete said arrests had been made in two of the three robberies and that detectives’ caseloads have increased; he said one detective had about 30 active cases when a typical load is roughly 12–17.

Property crimes were lower in some categories: the department reported approximately 33 larcenies from motor vehicles and six auto thefts for the month, and said all six stolen vehicles had been recovered. Pete emphasized that many vehicle larcenies were opportunistic: “The majority of these larcenies are just related to just a simple lock your vehicle,” he said.

Pete described recent operational priorities and programs: a homelessness working group using sequential intercept mapping to coordinate referrals and services; joint work with federal partners after a swatting incident at a campus library; and engagement with data tools and intelligence partners to analyze patterns. He said the department had purchased a body scanner for the jail to reduce contraband risk and that they are publishing mental‑health‑related call statistics.

On Aggieville road restrictions, Pete said the Aggieville Business Association has asked the city to remove restrictions; the department will compile data, survey businesses and students, and present findings to the law board before any policy change. Pete said the department supports restrictions for safety but wants the law board to make an informed decision. He described the current typical restriction window as Friday and Saturday evenings, roughly 11 p.m. to about 2 a.m.

Pete spoke about staffing and jail population: the department said patrol staffing is healthy but that the Riley County jail’s effective operational capacity is lower than its design because of classification requirements. The facility’s design is 143 beds but realistic operational capacity was described as about 125; the average daily population in recent weeks hovered around 130.

Pete said the department plans a flat budget request for 2027 and will seek internal reallocations rather than a cost‑of‑living adjustment unless necessary. He also noted recent technology purchases, including automated license‑plate readers (Flock Safety) and camera systems, and said stored camera and ALPR data are CJIS‑compliant and retained by the department, not by vendors.

The commission asked clarifying questions; no formal commission action was taken on police policies during the session.