WPD Chief Donny Williams, who recently announced his retirement — slated for no later than the end of June — will step away from his role as chief with a few key improvements in crime reduction.
Compared to last year, robberies decreased by 31 incidents, a 26% drop, and homicides went down by two incidents, a 15% decrease.
There were a total number of 11 homicides according to the report, this includes two traffic crashes and one justifiable homicide. WPD says they have cleared nearly 80% of homicide cases between 2019 and 2023 (the national average in those years was under 60% by many accounts).
Property crime burglaries decreased by 118 incidents (a 22% decrease) and arson decreased by two incidents (a 20% decrease).
Yet, some areas of crime continued to see an increase. There were 158 more larcenies, and the overall rate of violent crime went up by 2%. WPD attributed this increase to the number of domestic violence cases in 2024; these include 21 more sexual assault cases than the previous year.
WPD’s Communications Specialist, Brandon Shope, said in an email that the agency will continue to partner with nonprofits and coordinate with the Community Justice Center to support abuse victims.
In his address, Williams also noted that gun crimes went down significantly after the creation of the Gun Crimes Task Force.
“The unit utilizes intelligence to focus on violent gun crime offenders. The unit also focuses in on gun crimes that would have fallen through the cracks and more than likely would not have been investigated prior to this unit being created," Williams said.
Williams said that violent gun crime offenses have reduced by 45% since 2020, and nearly 570 firearms were seized last year.
Be that as it may, when Williams was asked by Mayor Pro-tem Clifford Barnett Sr. about the issues that keep him up at night (especially as he prepares for retirement), Williams reflected on how juvenile violence continues to plague the community:
“To me, any adolescent or teenager that's in possession of a gun is a recipe for disaster. And in some cases, these guns are stolen. And that really … really just keeps me up at night," he said.
According to Williams, these statistics are preliminary and are subject to change once they are reviewed by the federal and state bureau of investigations.
Shope said crime reduction continues to be a priority for the agency, and that it takes all members of the community to combat crime.
