Lafayette police report: calls up modestly, major crimes down, no traffic fatalities for fourth year

Lafayette Police Chief James Williams told the City Council that 2025 was a year of "partnership, prevention, and proactivity," citing an overall drop in major crime and progress on traffic safety.

Williams reported 16,113 calls for service in 2025 (about a 3% increase), 288 traffic citations (up 39% from 2024) and 273 FBI Part I crimes, which the chief said is 13% below the department's 10-year average. He also highlighted a four-year run with zero traffic fatalities and an overall decline in traffic collisions, noting 20 collisions with injuries and 43 total collisions in 2025. "We handled 16,113 calls for service," Williams said, and added that Lafayette remains among the safer cities in California based on standard crime-rate comparisons.

The chief credited targeted traffic enforcement (including coordinated patrol saturation with neighboring cities) for upward movement in citation counts and a correlated decline in collisions. He also outlined community engagement efforts: 10 "coffee with the cops" events in 2025, a restored officer-of-the-year program (Detective Poland recognized), ongoing outreach with regional partners, and plans to increase enforcement for e-bikes and e-scooters alongside continued education.

Council members praised the trend lines and asked follow-up questions about residential burglary declines and the role of home security cameras and remote work in those trends. Williams said those factors likely contributed and pointed to arrests and accountability as additional elements.

What happens next: the department plans more community outreach events, an expanded enforcement emphasis on e-bikes and e-scooters, and continued collaboration with regional partners on traffic safety and emergency preparedness.

Sources and quotes in this article are drawn from Chief Williams' presentation and council questions recorded in the meeting transcript.