Manhattan city commissioners heard February’s crime statistics and compared Fake Patty’s Day results to prior years during Tuesday’s work session.
Riley County Police Department director Brian Peete said overall crimes last month were 16.5% below the five-year average for that time of year, but there was a 30% increase compared to last year.
“We were unfortunately 63.6% above the five-year average for violent crimes,” he said. “For the month of February, we had 12 aggravated assaults or batteries. Fortunately, no rapes. Unfortunately, five robberies and one homicide that was reported during February of 2026. This is the highest number of part one violent crimes that we’ve seen over the past five years.”
