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Pulaski police chief outlines 2025 workload, staffing shortfalls and training plans
Summary
Chief Bill Kelly told the Town of Pulaski council that officers handled roughly 31,000 events in 2025 (3,700 citizen calls plus officer-initiated activity), reported 843 arrests and a homicide ruled justified by the Commonwealth, and said retention of officers is his top priority.
Chief Bill Kelly gave the Town of Pulaski a data-heavy update on policing and staffing, saying officers handled about 31,000 events in 2025 — roughly 3,700 citizen-initiated calls plus 23,000 officer-initiated incidents — and that the department made 843 arrests and recorded about 1,500 charges.
Kelly, who identified himself as Pulaski’s police chief, said the department recorded one homicide last year that the Commonwealth later ruled justified, 42 aggravated assaults, nine rapes, 74 burglaries and 183 theft reports. He also cited 1,900 traffic stops, 1,400 traffic summonses and about 800 traffic warnings.
The chief described detective workload (216 assigned cases in 2025), active narcotics investigations that included search warrants and seizures, and a range of training the department sends officers to, from firearms and use-of-force instruction to elective courses including forensic scene processing and drone operation.
On staffing, Kelly said the department has 30 authorized positions, is down two officers, has two officers in the academy and two on light duty; he said patrol runs four platoons with a three-officer minimum for most hours. He warned that the department lost nine officers last year and called retention his top priority: “figuring out what makes them happy, what makes them not happy, and trying to do what we can to keep them here,” he said.
Council members pressed Kelly on two operational issues. On mental-health responses, he said the department handled about 113 calls for people in need of mental-health services in 2025 and that such calls can be time-consuming because they often require medical evaluations and transport. On equipment, Kelly described the planned transition from SIG-platform handguns to Glock pistols: holsters, lights, optics and ammunition have been procured and the department is awaiting delivery of the Glock firearms for spring qualifications; he also noted industry reports and internal testing that prompted the move.
Kelly framed future work as “data-driven prioritization,” using analysis to identify problem hotspots and focus officer-initiated activity toward recurring issues. He also said the department will continue outreach to community stakeholders to connect residents who need services with appropriate supports.
The presentation drew no formal council action; the meeting moved on to other agenda items after questions.
