Owensboro Police Department saw a decrease in all violent and property crimes throughout 2023, according to Chief Art Ealum. He said that was common nationwide but cited OPD’s patrolling efforts as contributing to the drop locally.
“You can attribute (the drop) to the times, but being aggressive in patrols and trying to detain offenders for several years (was also a factor),” Ealum said during a presentation to the Owensboro City Commission on Tuesday.
Ealum reported local rate drops for murder (50%), rape (12.96%), robbery (41.86%), and aggravated assault (5.55%) in 2023 compared to 2022. He also noted that case clearance rates were at 63% for 2023 — saying that is 26 percentage points higher than the national average.
Cases are cleared in different ways, including arrests, the victim not prosecuting, and the prosecutor closing a case.
“Being out there and being active in the community, providing leads to investigators aggressively trying to solve cases, a lot of factors come into play,” Ealum said.
Ealum said the department received 139 allegations against officers, with obedience to “Rules, Regulations, and Laws” accounting for 27 and “Unsatisfactory Performance” for 26. Of the 139 allegations, Ealum said 32 transitioned into complaints, including 17 from outside the department staff.
Ealum noted that allegations are often complaints from community members and, regardless of the magnitude, are investigated by the department.
OPD investigates allegations by reviewing the body-worn and dashboard cameras and statements from other involved parties, including officers, witnesses, and the complainant, Ealum said.
Ealum said the department occasionally discovers other violations while investigating allegations, even if the original allegation was unsustained. In such situations, OPD notifies the complainant about the initial allegation and then conducts a subsequent investigation on any other violations.
“So instead of just saying that didn’t happen and just scrapping that investigation, we don’t. Whatever we identify, we address. We try to hold our officers to the highest standard. That’s one way of doing so. Everybody knows that they will be held accountable,” Ealum said.
In the end, he said the department often “over-document” their staff’s interactions with the public and throughout the department.
“We might over-document, but I think it’s for the best because it’s better to have somebody question you on some activity [and you have the information],” Ealum said.
In other business, Ealum noted that OPD is still working on the Training Academy to receive certified instructors for the program. They still plan to start the program in late spring or early summer.
