Riverhead Police Report January Crimes Drop to 113 from 164

Riverhead Town Police presented their January activity statistics to the Town Board on Feb. 27, 2026, and, according to the department’s monthly report, recorded 113 criminal offenses in January 2026, down from 164 in January 2025. The department’s monthly report therefore shows a year-over-year decline of 51 incidents between the two Januaries.

The monthly report “highlights reductions in several categories,” the report said, and the January summary and the story headline identify shoplifting, DWI and domestic incidents as areas with declines. The excerpt provided to this newsroom did not include numeric sub-totals for shoplifting, DWI or domestic incidents, so the precise counts and percentage changes for those categories remain unlisted in the January summary.

The Riverheadnewsreview/Times Review reported that, “Looking at more major crimes since January, there have also been 24 total aggravated assaults, 19 burglaries/break-ins, [and] 47 reported thefts from…” That outlet’s phrasing leaves the timeframe labeled “since January” undefined and the phrase about 47 thefts truncated, so it is not clear from the available text whether those 24 aggravated assaults, 19 burglaries and 47 thefts are part of the 113 January offenses or are tallies over a different period.

Key details remain outstanding for a full accounting: the complete Riverhead Town Police January 2026 monthly report with category-level counts for shoplifting, DWI, domestic incidents, aggravated assault, burglary and theft; the name of the official who presented the report to the Town Board on Feb. 27, 2026; and a definition of which incident types the department includes in its “criminal offenses” total. The police department’s excerpted language confirms a decline in total January offenses, but does not explain whether changes in reporting, jurisdictional scope, or enforcement practices contributed to the drop.

The numerical decline itself is concrete: 164 reported criminal offenses in January 2025 versus 113 in January 2026, a decrease of 51 incidents — roughly a 31 percent reduction. Riverhead Town Board members and residents will need the full monthly report and category breakdowns to judge whether the fall in January totals reflects sustained change, seasonal variation, or reclassification of incidents. The department’s full January report and any statements from police leadership will be necessary to clarify the causes and whether the trend will continue.