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Interim police chief cites record recruitment, drone response and mixed crime trends in 2025 report
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Summary
Interim Chief Tony Salas told council Denton PD saw record recruitment and a 17‑recruit academy class in 2025, credited a 13‑pilot police‑fire drone team with speeding response and saving a life, and reported violent crime down ~15% while property crime, driven by motor vehicle theft, rose.
Interim Police Chief Tony Salas presented Denton Police Department’s 2025 annual report on April 21, highlighting record recruitment, a dispatch accreditation and expanded drone capability that staff say improved response times.
"We were able to graduate 17 recruits for 1 single class," Salas told the council, calling the year "a great year for the police department" for recruiting and academy throughput. The department also secured accreditation for its public safety communications program and expanded a joint police‑fire drone team to 13 pilots.
Salas described a near‑miss rescue in which the drone team identified a pedestrian in the lane of traffic after a 9‑1‑1 caller gave an incorrect location; the drone used a spotlight to warn traffic and guided ground units to the individual, who was reportedly suffering a mental‑health crisis.
On crime trends, Salas said violent crime decreased by more than 15 percent while property crime increased by over 10 percent, with motor vehicle thefts rising over 24 percent and concentrated at apartment complexes. "Most of these offenses occurred at apartment complexes," he said, and the department is working with property managers on site inspections and visibility improvements.
Councilors asked about drone deployment logistics and data protections. Salas said drones can be deployed in a matter of minutes from headquarters, substations or vehicle trunks, and that city contracts control data access: "The way our contract is set up is that we control who our data is released to," he said.
The department listed strategic priorities including upcoming reaccreditation (scheduled for August), community engagement town halls and leadership academies. Councilors praised recruitment and reductions in violent crime but pressed for further data on vehicle‑theft patterns and camera/data‑privacy safeguards.
