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Police chief: Batavia saw crime declines in 2025 but flags AI-driven risks ahead
Summary
At the April 20 meeting the Batavia police chief presented the department's 2025 annual report, saying overall crime declined, training and technology expanded, grants funded traffic enforcement and the department is preparing for new challenges such as AI-enabled fraud and illicit content.
The Batavia Police Department reported generally declining crime rates in 2025 while highlighting investments in training, technology and traffic enforcement at the city council meeting on April 20.
Police Chief (speaker 3) told the council the department set the table for new technologies and programs over 2025, including rollouts of Axon body-worn cameras and e-ticketing. He said crime figures generally trended downward and that some increases in calls for service reflect more on-view activity tied to traffic enforcement rather than increases in emergency 911 calls.
Key figures cited in the presentation included roughly 3,300 hours of department training in 2025 (about 80 hours per officer), 45 sworn officers on the roster, 587 Freedom of Information Act requests processed in 2025, and more than $45,000 in grant awards that supported traffic enforcement and other activities. The chief noted an IDOT traffic enforcement grant resulted in 343 additional traffic stops focused on speed and reckless-driving enforcement. He also said the department received six Axon Taser 7 devices at no cost and cited completion of an evidence-room audit and periodic spot checks.
On use-of-force metrics, the chief said force was rare: "15 times in over 19,000 calls for service is a pretty low number," and emphasized that de-escalation is a priority. He also highlighted that the city recorded zero opioid deaths in 2025 and said Narcan availability had contributed to that result.
When asked about future challenges, the chief warned the council that "one of the big challenges that law enforcement across the board is gonna be battling is crime resulting from AI," pointing to risks ranging from AI-generated child sexual-abuse material to fraud and more-sophisticated scams. He urged both continued staff training and community education to prepare for evolving threats.
Council members thanked the chief for the report and asked follow-up questions about deployment and community engagement; the meeting then proceeded to other agenda items.
