KPD Press Release Template

Killeen Police Department Public Affairs Office 3304 Community Blvd. Killeen, TX 76542 254-501-8807 Fax 254-200-7975

Press Release For Immediate Release March 21, 2016

2015 Uniform Crime Report (RAW DATA ONLY, population increase/decrease not factored into data)

The Killeen Police Department has released its 2015 Part I Uniform Crime Report (UCR) for violent and non-violent crimes. The data released are raw numbers and do not reflect the crime rates for Killeen, Texas. The U.S. Census Bureau has not released the 2015 population estimates for Killeen. Once the population count is provided, a UCR crime rate news release will be issued.

Compared to 2014, Killeen’s 2015 Crime Index fell 11.64%. “The biggest contributing factors to the drop in crime are from the Non-violent Crime categories,” said Police Chief Dennis Baldwin. In total, five of the seven UCR categories (both violent and non-violent) declined in 2015, some significantly.

Burglaries dropped 22.19%, Larcenies declined 10.26%, and Vehicle Thefts fell 22.73%. Overall, Non-violent Crime decreased by 14.22% for 2015. In the Violent Crime categories, Robberies declined 24.49% and Aggravated Assaults fell 2.09%. The two categories that rose in 2015 were Murders and Rapes. Murders rose from 10 to 17 or 70.00%, while Rapes rose from 114 to 189 or 65.79%. Overall, Violent Crime rose by 2.72% for 2015.

Police Chief Dennis Baldwin stated, “Crime continues to decline in Killeen, but there are still areas of concern that need attention. Most of the murders in Killeen during 2015 were the result of domestic violence, with three events accounting for seven murders. As difficult as it is to address domestic violence and rapes, this community must find a way to mitigate them. Working with community members and the media, the Killeen Police Department will elevate awareness of domestic violence and sexual assaults in our community, as well as draft recommendations for state representatives to consider that would allow intervention in domestic violence situations earlier than what is currently possible. Additionally, more resources have been made available through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant to help reduce violent crime in our community. The grant amount was for $2,334,217,

Killeen Police – Dedicated Service http://www.killeenpd.com Killeen Police Department Public Affairs Office 3304 Community Blvd. Killeen, TX 76542 254-501-8807 Fax 254-200-7975 and it will fund 12 officers that will be specifically dedicated to target violent crime as it relates to gun violence. My expectation is to see the violent crime trend downward—as we’ve seen with non-violent crimes—as more resources are dedicated to combat it,” said Chief Baldwin.

UCR Crime by Category

2014 2015 Change Murder 10 17 +70.00% Rape 114 189 +65.79% Robbery 196 148 -24.49% Aggravated Assault 526 515 -2.09% Burglary 1334 1038 -22.19% Larceny 3149 2826 -10.26% Vehicle Thefts 220 170 -22.73%

Crime Index 5549 4903 -11.64%

Carroll Smith Public Affairs Killeen Police Department

Killeen Police – Dedicated Service http://www.killeenpd.com