Numbers from the Lampasas Police Department reveal crime trended downward in the city during 2025.
The LPD reported 271 felony crimes in 2025, a 28% decrease from the 376 it showed in 2024. Misdemeanors followed suit, with 871 reported in 2025 versus 1,227 in 2024 – a 29% decrease.
Although numbers may have dropped, Patrol Lt. Chuck Montgomery emphasized the year did not feel less busy for officers.
“A partial contribution to the reason I believe numbers were down was that we ran short-staffed for most of last year,” he said. “Though the positions may have been filled, we had numerous patrol positions that were filled by people who were cadets, meaning they went to the academy and then a fullfield training program.”
In 2025, LPD conducted a total of 579 adult arrests, a 17% dip from 2024. Also, the department arrested 74 juveniles in 2025, which was less than the 88 apprehended the year prior.
In 2025, the police department recorded 44 motorists driving while intoxicated and two instances of a minor driving while under the influence. LPD had 69 marijuana/drug possession cases – a 36% decrease from 2024’s number of 107.
While patrolling city streets, police officers issued 1,368 traffic citations in 2025, a 21.5% decrease from 2024’s mark of 1,742. The department logged 4,297 warnings versus 5,032 in 2024.
There was a total of 315 traffic accidents in the city, only 8.2% lower than the 2024 figure of 315. However, three fatal accidents occurred in the city limits during 2025, with none occurring in 2024. Two of those incidents involved a bicyclist and a pedestrian, who both were at fault, according to the LPD. The third fatality involved the driver of a vehicle in a high-speed chase that started out of town.
“Any loss of life on a roadway is tragic,” Montgomery said. “Three fatal crashes in a year was a lot for us, but there is no evidence to suggest that is an uptick in poor caution from drivers.”
LPD acquired license plate readers in 2025. Although the technology has been in use for only one year, it already is having a positive impact for the department, the police lieutenant said.
“The advantage of having that equipment is while we are driving, those license plate readers are looking for stolen vehicles, wanted persons or people that might have an Amber/ Silver Alert to their vehicle,” Montgomery said. “It gives officers immediate feedback that this vehicle has a flag on the license plate to tell them what the issue should be.”
LPD also experienced a significant drop – 43% -- in code violation complaints. They went from 393 in 2024 to 223 in 2025. Of those complaints, 101 were related to high weeds and trash, 12 to junk and unregistered vehicles, six were for substandard houses, one due to a building code violation, and 103 were miscellaneous (including water violations).
Currently, LPD is searching for a full-time code enforcement officer. While code enforcement remains a focus, Montgomery hinted the drop in 2025 may have been due to department priorities.
“A lot of that can be contributed to [the fact that] we are tackling larger problems that take more resources,” Montgomery said.
Despite less crime last year, police officers accumulated more miles on their vehicles. Total miles logged for all patrol vehicles was 206,184 -- an 18% increase from the 174,567 logged the year before.
