Richardson Police Report Sharp Drops in Violent, Property Crime in 2025

Richardson Police Chief Gary Tittle presented a striking set of crime numbers to the City Council on March 2, reporting that violent and property offenses combined fell 23.5 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, extending a decline that has cut overall crime in the city by more than half since 2021.

The breakdown behind that headline figure shows violent crime down 11 percent and property crime down nearly 25 percent. The sharpest single-category drop came in auto theft, which fell 55.9 percent, from 381 reported thefts in 2024 to 168 in 2025. Robberies involving individuals dropped 56.3 percent over the same period.

Tittle credited a combination of automated camera systems, including the Flock platform deployed across the city, targeted investigative work, and community partnerships for driving those numbers down. The department also highlighted the Handle With Care school notification program, which alerts schools when students have been involved in traumatic incidents, and a new crisis-intervention hire as part of its expanding approach to public safety.

Not every metric moved in a positive direction. Aggravated assaults rose in 2025, with a large share of those cases tied to family violence. Firearm thefts from vehicles remain a persistent concern. Burglary of a motor vehicle held its position as the most commonly reported offense in Richardson, and the department noted that 57 percent of those cases involved vehicles that had been left unlocked.

Staffing pressures shadowed the otherwise favorable crime report. Tittle acknowledged ongoing recruitment challenges and attrition driven by retirements and officers departing for other agencies. The department recorded 17 on-the-job injuries in 2025. The chief also raised broader officer wellness concerns, referencing national trends in line-of-duty deaths and officer suicides, and called for sustained investment in peer support and intervention programs within the department.

The annual review covered department operations, staffing and recruitment efforts, community engagement activities, and new programming alongside the crime trend data. The 2025 figures mark the continuation of a trajectory that began well before last year, with Richardson's overall crime rate now more than 50 percent lower than it was in 2021.