The Owensboro Police Department reported the city’s overall crime rate dropped 11% in 2021 compared to the year prior, and that the majority of violent crimes decreased at least 14%.
OPD Major J.D. Winkler said 2021 saw decreases in the violent crimes of murder, rape and robbery — with only 1, 35, and 32 instances, respectively. However, there was a new high in reports of aggravated assault with 115.
“The aggravated assaults going up is something that we’re concerned with. In reality, a lot of it involves some of the crowds that we have,” Winkler said.
Winkler said there was also an overall decrease of at least 5% in property crimes from 2020, noting fewer burglaries (307), larceny (1,494), vehicle thefts (286) and arsons (10).
Winkler also said controlled substance incident reports dropped form 39 in 2020 to 35 in 2021.
In discussing how some people are now seeking out fake Percocet 30 pills that contain fentanyl, Winkler said the department is working to ensure people know that the chance is out there to have a fatal overdose as a result of taking an illegitimate pill.
In other drug-related statistics, OPD reported more cultivation and possession of marijuana cases — up to 4 and 214 incidents, respectively — yet had 25% fewer trafficking cases.
“I think is a necessary shift in society, so we’re trying to focus as much as we can on the higher-level drug dealers and focusing on taking them out of the equation,” Winkler said.
Winkler said trying to find the dealer is the main focus of the department as they continue to investigate those cases.
There was also a decrease in methamphetamine-related offenses — down from 418 in 2020 to 386 in 2021.
