GALT, CA (MPG) - With the exception of motor vehicle-related issues, the crime rate in Galt either remained consistent or dropped in 2025.

Total instances in 2025 were 30,075, barely more than the 29,994 in 2024 and just over 2% more than 2023’s 29,452, according to the annual report given to City Council by Police Chief Brian Kalinowski. Calls for service decreased for the second year in a row, coming in at 14,475 compared to 15,389 in 2023, while officer-initiated calls rose to 15,500 last year compared to 15,415 in 2024 and 14,153 in 2023.

One area of marked increase was traffic stops, which have almost doubled from 2023’s 2,543 to 4,685 last year, with the largest increase of 35.7% taking place between 2023 to 2024. Kalinowski cited four factors for the increase: using grant money to set up driving under the influence (DUI) checkpoints, DUI saturation enforcement, targeted enforcement campaigns and staffing a new motor patrol officer last year.

“That’s new work that we’re doing regularly,” Kalinowski said.

Also seeing a significant increase were misdemeanor arrests, up 27.1%, with a total of 387 in 2023 to 531 in 2025; with the biggest jump of 93 coming in 2023 to 2024.

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s standard for comprehensive tracking of specific crimes, incidents reflected the overall Galt stats, with some categories increasing by several percentage points while others similarly decreased. The largest decrease came in motor vehicle thefts, which declined 64% from 2024 to 2025, dropping from 64 to 23.

Kalinowski couldn’t explain the vehicle thefts decrease, adding “it bounces from year to year.” The city also saw an almost 28.6% drop in aggravated assaults, from 77 down to 55.

The NIBRS stats listed one homicide in 2025, the case of the infant allegedly dropped by her father in August, which was initially not listed as homicide but reclassified later after an investigation. According to media reports, the 33-year-old father, Edgar Allan Bonaficio, was arrested in early January and charged with homicide and felony child abuse resulting in death.

The Galt Police Department’s 2025 report noted 23 use of force incidents, 14 calls resulting in vehicle pursuits, 27 complaints and 11 sustained complaints under its “Professional Standards” category. Traffic Unit total citations, which include parking tickets, have almost doubled since 2023, with 2,001 in 2025 compared to 1,062 in 2023 and 1,453 in 2024.

Kalinowski said moving violations were “up significantly” from 659 in 2023 to 795 in 2024 and 1,037 in 2025, with statistics in the rest of the traffic categories such as injuries, collisions and damage holding fairly consistent.

“The staff has done tremendous work to ensure we stay on top of that issue in order to have at least a stabilized if not improved traffic safety and less complaints in the community,” he added.

Property and evidence stats, what Kalinowski referred to as “the drug of choice, things we’re catching out in the field,” showed that of illicit drugs seized, 51.9% were miscellaneous pills, 34.2% was methamphetamines and 10.9% was fentanyl. It amounted to 626.30 pounds in the federal Drug Enforcement Agency’s drug buy-back program.

Other aspects of the report indicated 123 calls for graffiti abatement with a total cost of $6,542.50 that was covered by Measure R funding. The department’s Problem Oriented Policing (POP) unit that focuses on identifying and responding to chronic issues such as nuisance activity, homelessness-related concerns and ongoing criminal activity responded to 791 incidents, 517 of which were officer-initiated that included 71 traffic stops, 36 investigated cases, 36 citations, nine homeless encampments posted and cleared and 19 arrests.

“The unit also maintained its partnership with the Sacramento County mental health counselor embedded within the POP unit,” the report noted.

One of the biggest changes in 2025 was the department’s installation and usage of the ANET (Automated Non-Emergency Triage) by Prepared 911 communications system. ANET is an artificial intelligence-supported call-handling system that automates routine calls for service, allowing dispatchers to focus on emergency situations while reducing caller wait times, especially during peak periods.

Calls are recorded/transcribed and placed into a response queue for dispatchers to address once done with handling a 911 call. Calls can be transcribed in different languages, with callers able to speak with a dispatcher at any time by pressing “0” on the phone keypad.

“There are a lot of enhancements for services based on being able to triage your business line calls,” Kalinowski said, adding Galt is on the forefront of using this technology and has talked with other agencies interested in it.

Since its implementation in Galt, ANET has handled a total of 7,838 calls, with 3,644 transferred back to the communications center meaning artificial intelligence (AI) successfully handled 53.51% of the calls.

“I believe it (ANET) has been an enhancement to the community,” Kalinowski said. “This is the future of what law enforcement will be doing.”

Overall in 2025, the department’s dispatchers handled 26,934 calls, of which 6,803 were 911 calls. Of those 991 calls, 93.75% were answered within 10 seconds, something facilitated further by ANET use.

“Ten seconds is a very short amount of time,” Councilmember Tim Reed said. “That’s very impressive.”

Councilmember Shawn Farmer, while praising the crime statistics reduction, said several constituents had approached him with complaints and concerns about ANET, noting some said it took almost a half hour to receive a return call from the department about a complaint while others got “frustrated” by the system and resorted to “zeroing out” to get a live dispatcher.

Kalinowski acknowledged these challenges, noting continued use has helped it to become “smoother than it was before.” He said the department would provide a presentation on the system at a future council meeting.