The Owensboro Police Department’s 2019 Annual Report was released Wednesday, revealing crime-related statistics from the entire year. In general, both violent and non-violent crimes were down compared to 2018, though there were a handful of exceptions.
For example, criminal homicide doubled from three in 2018 to six in 2019.
Another notable jump was reported in the Street Crimes Unit, with methamphetamine seizures jumping nearly 400%. However, other drug seizures — including marijuana — dropped significantly.
The full annual reports with detailed information can be found here. Highlights of the report are listed below.
Uniform Crime Stats
Part I of the Uniform Crime Report focuses on index crimes which include murder, robbery, rape, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson. All other crimes are classified under Part II.
OPD reported slightly lower crimes in nearly every category. Part I crimes in total were down to 2,615 in 2019 compared to 2,990 in 2018. Part II crimes were down to 3,758 in 2019 compared to 4,098 in 2018.
The only categories with an increase were homicides (up from three to six), drug abuse violations (up from 964 to 970), disorderly conduct (up from 257 to 294) and fraud (up from 59 to 103).
The full Uniform Crime Report for 2019 can be found here, while the one for 2018 can be found here.
Street Crimes Unit
The Street Crimes Unit is a tactical narcotics/vice unit that is responsible for conducting covert drug operations and providing targeted law enforcement to special situations such as gambling, prostitution, or gang activity.
Methamphetamine seizure in 2019 was up nearly 400% since the previous year (up from 4.37 lbs to 17.23 lbs), while marijuana seizure dropped nearly 60% (down from 52.45 lbs to 21.43 lbs).
Heroin seizure dropped from .81 oz to .42 oz, while cocaine dropped from 2.05 oz to .25 oz.
Full SCU stats for 2019 can be found here, while those for 2018 can be found here.
Patrol Division
In 2019, patrol officers responded to 40,246 calls for service, conducted 16,311 traffic stops and seized 118 firearms. In 2018, they responded to 40,513 calls for service and conducted 12,483 traffic stops. Stats for firearm seizures in 2018 were not listed in that year’s report.
Criminal Investigations Division
The Criminal Investigations Division is responsible for self-initiated and follow-up investigations of assigned cases that include homicides, robberies, sexual assaults, serious physical assaults and other felonies.
During 2019, there were 2,648 cases investigated by the Criminal Investigations Division. During 2018, there were 2,725 investigated.
Traffic Unit
In 2019, the officers assigned to the Traffic Unit conducted 240 hours of selective enforcement and initiated 704 traffic stops. They responded to 2,454 calls for service and charged a total of 365 law violations. Stats for 2018 were not listed in that year’s report.
Hazardous Devices Unit
The Owensboro Police Department Hazardous Devices Unit was called into service six times in 2019, compared to eight in 2018. The HDU is trained in the safe handling and response to any suspected explosive device.
Professional Standards Unit
The Professional Standards Unit investigates all citizen complaints against police personnel as well as complaints originating from within the police department itself.
In 2019, the PSU conducted a total of 31 administrative investigations. There were 10 external complaints and 21 internal complaints. The final disposition of the cases are as follows: 1 unfounded; 2 not sustained, 13 exonerated; 12 sustained; and 3 closed without findings.
In 2018, the PSU conducted a total of 34 administrative investigations. There were eight external complaints and 26 internal complaints. The final disposition of the cases are as follows: 0 unfounded; 2 not sustained; 19 exonerated; 13 sustained; and 0 closed without findings.
