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Port Richey police report: steady call volume, retail theft drives most property crime; traffic crashes often involve pedestrians
Summary
Police presented January–February activity and long-term trends showing about 1,900 calls per month, retail theft (largely at retail stores) as the largest share of thefts, staffing vacancies in patrol, and a 10-year crash review showing most fatalities involve pedestrians or bicyclists.
Kevin Kutch, a presenter from the Port Richey Police Department, told City Council that the department is maintaining a roughly steady call volume and continues to struggle with staffing vacancies while retail theft accounts for the largest share of property crime.
Kutch said the department’s average monthly calls for service are about 1,952 and that the department recorded 2,025 calls in January and 1,911 in February for 2025. “That’s about 1,900 or so calls for service on average,” he said. He added that staffing includes four patrol squads with two vacant swing-shift positions and that the department expects to fill the chief position next month when the chief select assumes the role.
Kutch walked council through crime statistics for January–February 2025 and a 10-year traffic-crash history. He said violent crimes were “few and far between” but that property crime counts were driven by thefts. “Retail theft is about 61 percent of all the thefts that are occurring in the city,” Kutch said; he said the majority of those retail thefts are likely at Walmart and that multiple retail incidents are sometimes aggregated into larger theft charges when dollar thresholds are met.
On traffic, Kutch showed a 10-year view of crashes and said the city averages about one to two fatalities per year, with the “vast majority” being pedestrian- or bicycle-related rather than vehicle-to-vehicle collisions. He described ongoing efforts to reduce crashes, including participation in an Enhanced Law Enforcement engagement grant program run through the University of South Florida that helped the department obtain roughly $32,000 in equipment last cycle and is expected to secure additional equipment support this year.
Kutch also reported on the city’s red-light camera program, showing a monthly average of just over 700 violations so far in 2025 (January–February) and projecting annual violations in a range roughly between 9,000 and 12,000 if monthly patterns continue. He said the city is participating in state reimbursement grants for speed enforcement and has applied for a DUI enforcement grant for the next fiscal year.
Council members asked for more detail on drug arrests and other crime breakouts; Kutch said the department can pull more-detailed reports on drug arrests and other categories if council wants them to do so.
Why it matters: The figures shape budget decisions, staffing priorities and traffic-safety programs; the department’s grant activity also points to another funding source for enforcement equipment and enforcement initiatives.
What’s next: Kutch said the department will continue compiling data for council and can provide additional breakdowns of arrests and specific crime types on request.
