Baton Rouge police report overall declines in most crimes; chief highlights new long‑range drone and domestic‑violence focus

Baton Rouge Police Department Chief Mike Kimball told the Metropolitan Council on Jan. 14 that most categories of crime fell in 2025, but he urged continued attention to an increase in stabbings and to domestic‑violence‑related homicides in parts of the parish. “Crime was down in every single category that we can measure except for stabbings,” Kimball said, summarizing the department’s year‑end report.

Kimball gave council members percentage changes he said were reflected in department statistics: homicides down roughly 15 percent, shooting incidents down about 20 percent, overall gun violence down about 18.5 percent, robberies down about 22 percent and vehicle thefts down nearly 30 percent. He also said overall crime totals were down in the mid‑teens. The chief cautioned that some neighborhoods experienced sharp increases in stabbings and a local rise in homicides in one area.

The chief described new department tools and tactics. Kimball said the department bought a long‑endurance “Stalker” drone to replace some helicopter functions, and that it can “be up in the air for 4 to 5 hours” and operate up to 100 miles with FAA permission. He said the drone unit cost about $400,000, with training, antennas and batteries bringing the total package to just under $1 million; eight officers completed initial two‑week training and about 30 officers hold FAA drone certifications for various platforms.

Kimball also described organizational changes aimed at faster responses to domestic‑violence incidents: a dedicated division created in 2024, additional civilian staff and embedded personnel with the district attorney’s office to help secure higher bonds and speed charging. He told Councilwoman Harris the department had 13 homicides in 2025 classified as domestic‑violence related and offered to provide more detailed breakdowns on request.

Council members asked about patterns in the year‑to‑date shootings for 2026 and about how domestic violence is being handled in the field. Kimball said many recent shootings are retaliation or involve people who already know one another, and described a policy that allows patrol officers who establish probable cause to apply for warrants online before their shift ends, rather than waiting for detectives.

The chief closed by thanking officers and staff for their work amid staffing shortages and the council thanked him for the report. The council did not take further formal action on the report; the meeting proceeded to administrative items.