OPD annual report reveals more drugs and DUIs, less violence than year before

May 7, 2019 | 3:25 am

Updated May 6, 2019 | 9:36 pm

Owensboro Police Department has published their annual report from 2018, revealing local statistics on crime, traffic and personnel numbers.

Owensboro Police Department has published their annual report from 2018, revealing local statistics on crime, traffic and personnel numbers. The 2018 annual report shows significant increases in drug seizures, weaponry arrests, DUI charges and juvenile-related thefts across the area, while it appears less traffic accidents were reported and significantly fewer charges were made by the Street Crimes Unit (SCU) than in 2017.

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) contains official data on crime that is reported to law enforcement agencies across the country. That data is then provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Uniform crime statistics revealed increases in burglaries (468 in 2018 compared to 434 in 2017), larcenies/thefts (2,042 in 2018 compared to 2,005 in 2017) and robberies (65 in 2018 compared to 55 in 2017).

Meanwhile, UCR data shows numbers decreased in 2018 for categories such as criminal homicide (3 in 2018 compared to 4 in 2017), forcible rapes (26 in 2018 compared to 35 in 2017) and motor vehicle thefts (263 in 2018 compared to 274 in 2017).

Other crime statistics reported through UCR show increases in OPD arrests for DUIs, simple assaults, vandalism, carrying and possession of weapons.

In 2018, OPD made 713 arrests for simple assault compared to 681 in 2017. OPD also saw more vandalism in 2018, making 770 arrests throughout the year compared to 711 arrests in 2017. Seventy-four arrests were made that involved carrying and possessing weapons in 2018 — 26 more than were made in 2017 (48). Meanwhile, 101 more DUI arrests were made in 2018 (345) than in 2017 (244).

Statistics show decreases in categories such as forgery and counterfeiting arrests (92 in 2018 compared to 103 in 2018) and 100 fewer drug abuse violations (964 in 2018 compared to 1,065 in 2017).

While criminal homicides and aggravated assaults were down from 2017 to 2018, the amount of drugs seized between the two years saw significantly higher numbers in 2018.

OPD’s Street Crimes Unit (SCU), described as a “major asset” to OPD, is a tactical narcotics/vice unit responsible for conducting covert drug operations and providing targeted law enforcement to special situations. The SCU is staffed by one sergeant and four detectives who work in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies in the region to combat illegal drugs.

In 2018, the SCU saw less arrests and charges made involving drugs, but seized a larger amount of drugs than in the previous year. In 2018, 247 arrests and 493 charges were made by SCU, compared to 326 arrests and 1,033 charges in 2017. A significantly less amount of cash was seized in 2018 ($61,302) than in 2017 ($254,420) as well. Even more, gun seizures were nearly cut in half, with SCU seizing 40 guns in 2018 compared to 78 in 2017.

However, SCU seized nearly 43 more pounds of marijuana in 2018 than in the previous year, totaling 52.45 total pounds of marijuana seized in 2018. In 2017, SCU seized 9.79 pounds of marijuana.

More meth, cocaine and heroin were also seized by SCU in 2018. Totals for 2018 were 4.37 pounds of meth, .81 ounces of heroin and 2.05 ounces of cocaine. In comparison, SCU seized 3.71 ounces of meth and cocaine combined in 2017, along with .71 ounces of heroin.

OPD’s records division saw less accident reports last year than in 2017, totaling 3,406 in 2018 and 3,571 in 2017. However, over 1,000 more uniform citations were made in 2018 (10,322) than in 2017 (9,269).

May 7, 2019 | 3:25 am

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