At the September 16 Common Council meeting, Summit Police Chief Ryan Peters presented updated year-to-date crime statistics covering January through September 2025, with comparisons to the past four years.
Chief Peters reported that suspects have been arrested in 9 of the 11 motor vehicle thefts this year. Five of those thefts occurred at dealerships, but strong follow-up work by both the detective bureau and the patrol bureau has led to successful outcomes. “They’re doing a phenomenal job,” Peters said.
Downward Trends in Property Crime
Assault cases dropped to 38 in 2025 compared with 62 in 2024, and well below the 50 recorded in 2023 and 34 in 2022.
Larcenies decreased to 52, compared with 93 in 2024 and 78 in 2023. In 2022, the number was 107.
Motor vehicle thefts also improved, with 11 in 2025, down from 14 in 2024 and 15 in 2023, and far below the 25 in 2022.
Burglaries and attempted burglaries to motor vehicles fell to 10 in 2025, down from 19 in 2024, 55 in 2023, and 73 in 2022.
Traffic Enforcement Up
Motor vehicle stops increased significantly, rising to 5,610 in 2025 from 4,179 in 2024. Moving summonses rose from 1,058 to 1,271, while parking summonses fell slightly from 2,682 to 2,390. The total number of summonses remained steady at 3,661 compared with 3,740 in 2024. Peters emphasized that the increase in stops reflects proactive enforcement as well as an opportunity to educate drivers.
Calls for Service
The department logged 36,846 calls for service between January and September 2025, up from 35,231 in 2024 and 31,268 in 2022, remaining in line with 2023 totals. Peters explained that documenting more incidents provides a stronger trail for investigations and enhances accountability.
Violent Crime
Summit has had no homicides this year. There have been 16 violent crime cases, compared with 7 in 2024. The uptick in the number is due to an increase in attempted rape allegations, though Chief Peters noted that six of the eight reports came from facilities with a duty to report allegations, stressing that incidents were contained to those settings.
Chief Peters concluded by saying he is encouraged by the data: “These numbers show that our officers are out there doing their job, and I want to commend the excellent work of our entire department.”