School Resource Officer Wilson greets students with a high-five. Photo Courtesy Princeton Police Department

Police Chief James Waters has submitted his annual report to the Princeton City Council, outlining a year marked by sharply increased calls for service, rising traffic collisions and the growing demands placed on the department as the city continued its rapid expansion.

“Through proactive policing strategies, strong community partnerships and data-driven decision making, we made meaningful strides in crime prevention and response,” the chief said. “Just as vital were the relationships built through community engagement and everyday interactions that reinforce trust and mutual respect.”

The report showed that Princeton police handled 28,346 calls for service during 2025, a 34% increase from the previous year. Officers averaged a response time of just under seven minutes and spent an average of 20 minutes on scene per call, figures the department attributed to population growth, expanding subdivisions and heavier traffic throughout the city 

Disturbances represented the largest category of calls, with 2,157 incidents reported during the year. Officers also responded to a high volume of suspicious-person and suspicious-vehicle calls, traffic-related incidents and alarms. Traffic growth was reflected in accident data, with 801 collisions reported within city limits. Police officials noted that busy corridors such as U.S. 380 continued to see elevated crash totals as vehicle traffic increased alongside residential and commercial development.

Waters said hit-and-run accidents have increased across the region “even though Texas law imposes significant criminal penalties for leaving an accident site.”

The department made 626 total arrests in 2025, a 6.5% increase from the previous year. Drug-related charges accounted for 100 of those arrests, including possession of controlled substances, marijuana and other drugs, as well as manufacturing or delivery offenses. Non-drug charges included assault, driving while intoxicated, weapons violations, theft and burglary, fraud-related offenses and a large number of warrant arrests.

Crime statistics showed year-to-year variation across several categories. Motor vehicle thefts doubled in 2025 with 24, while burglary and theft totals declined from 2024 levels. Assaults continued to represent a significant share of reported offenses, including both simple and aggravated cases. There were four robberies reported and 23 rapes.

The report also detailed targeted enforcement and traffic initiatives. Officers conducted 581 traffic enforcement actions in designated areas across the city and completed 316 formal accident reports. Waters said the efforts were intended to address high-crash locations and improve safety as traffic volumes increased.

A required section of the annual report addressed racial profiling data collected under Texas law. The data covered motor vehicle stops conducted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025, as part of the department’s annual compliance report.

According to the report, Princeton officers recorded 9,552 traffic-stop contacts during the year. White drivers accounted for almost 37% of those contacts, totaling 3,533 stops. Hispanic drivers accounted for 31%, or 2,977 stops and Black drivers represented just over 25% or 2,429 stops. Asian or Pacific Islander drivers accounted for nearly 6%, or 552 stops. The remaining contacts involved drivers classified in other racial or ethnic categories tracked by the state.

The report also examined whether officers knew a driver’s race or ethnicity before initiating a stop and whether the stop involved a city resident. In most cases, officers did not know a driver’s race or ethnicity prior to the contact. More than half of traffic stops involved nonresidents traveling through Princeton rather than city residents.

Investigative activity remained heavy during the year. Detectives managed 1,198 active cases and filed 879 cases. Investigators also handled more than 4,400 follow-up investigations, processed nearly 2,000 items of evidence and property and issued 372 warrants. Police reported that all registered sex offenders in the city were verified and that all runaway and missing-person cases reported during the year were located.

School resource officers continued to account for a significant portion of the department’s workload. Six officers were assigned to 16 Princeton Independent School District campuses serving more than 11,500 students. 

Police responded to 2,530 calls for service at schools, took 170 reports and made 38 arrests. Citations at school campuses remained relatively limited, according to the report.

Professional standards data showed relatively few internal discipline issues. The department processed seven complaints during the year, including five internal and two external complaints. Police reported eight use-of-force incidents involving nine total applications of force, all of which were found to comply with department policy. Fourteen vehicle pursuits were reported, none of which resulted in crashes.

The department ended the year with 45 sworn officers and four civilian employees. Nine new employees were hired during the year, while two sworn officers separated from the department.

“While challenges will always exist, I am confident in our department, our city leadership and our community,” Waters said. “Together, we will continue building a safer, stronger city grounded in service, accountability and care for one another.”

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