Nantucket Arrests Decline For Second Year, While Motor Vehicle Stops Rise Sharply

Arrests have declined for two consecutive years on Nantucket, according to a presentation delivered by Chief of Police Jody Kasper at Wednesday’s Select Board meeting.

While reported crimes have remained relatively stable, arrests have fallen nearly 24 percent since the 2023 fiscal year, from 591 to 452. With five months to go in the 2026 fiscal year, there have been 257 arrests. Given the seasonal nature of Nantucket’s community, it’s difficult to know if that suggests another decline this year.

In the same time period, motor vehicle stops have risen sharply, from 2,158 to 3,581, an increase of almost 40 percent.

“Our officers have been very busy out there stopping cars,” Kasper said.

The report also revealed that the police department gave out 17,062 parking tickets last year. They’ve given out 17,866 so far this year. The large majority of tickets, Kasper said, are given during the summer, meaning that this year’s numbers likely won’t be too far off from last year’s.

During the presentation, Kasper also touched on the challenges facing the department. In addition to employee retention, the department is anticipating a significant turnover in leadership soon, potentially forcing the replacement of several top officials in short order.

She also touched on the department’s ongoing e-bike enforcement efforts, which the police department committed to increasing last November as concerns around the vehicles mounted.

“Our officers did a great job,” she said. “We definitely saw a decrease in youths, particularly, on these [e-bikes].”