Police share crime stats

• Crime Rate Drops by 55% over the past 25 Years
• Police Chief Credits Investment in People, Equipment and Community Engagement

New data shows a dramatic drop in crime within the City of Greenville over the past 25-years. Despite a growth in population from 58,721 residents to 79,205, incidents of crime fell from 5,529 to 2,502 incidents during the same time period.

Greenville Police Department (GPD) Chief Howie Thompson shared his analysis during the City Council annual retreat on Feb. 12. His report covered both property crimes and violent crimes. Thompson attributed the lower crime rate to excellence in three areas. “The Greenville Police Department is superior in training, equipment and culture,” he said.

GPD crime analysis reported a 65% reduction in the likelihood that residents would be a victim of crime. In 2000, the per capita crime rate was 94 incidents per 1,000 residents. In 2025, the rate dropped to 33 incidents per 1,000 residents.

Investing in People Pays Dividends

Chief Thompson pointed to numerous investments made in GPD staff, including:

• Additional sworn officers have been added, with hourly rate and cost-of-living pay increases, as well as a night shift incentive, tuition reimbursement and bilingual compensation
• Officers are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including live-view body cameras, signal sidearm sensors and squad cars that have protective shielding and AEDs for enhanced first aid
• Leadership supports regular, comprehensive, reality-based training for all officers.

“They are coming back. The grass isn’t greener,” Chief Thompson said, referring to numerous officers who left the department and later returned. “You hate to lose them, but love when they come back.”

Technology Pays Dividends

Thompson also acknowledged the expanded use of data and analysis in making informed decisions, both immediate and long-term. After analyzing service call data, GPD added an additional shift from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m., to match peak call times. Analysts also identified high-collision intersections and provided additional traffic enforcement.

Chief Thompson commented on the increased use of aerial technology to solve cases, “Our drones have been great at helping us find missing people. They help us locate suspects. We want to get dangerous people in custody, get them off the street and prevent them from hurting other people.”

Community Involvement Pays Dividends

In the past few years, police officers have expanded their efforts to engage with the community. Traditional roles such as school resource officers have been maintained while new programs are added, including a re-vamped Citizens Police Academy, Coffee with a Cop and a Neighborhood Engagement Team.

“It has not always been this way and I’ve been on council for a long time,” Council member Lillian Flemming said about officers who patrol neighborhoods and attend community meetings. “We are excited about their relationship with the families and particularly the children.”

Next Steps: Development of a Real-Time Crime Center

Chief Thompson and City Manager Shannon Lavrin encouraged City Council to capitalize on the department’s success by investing in a Real-Time Crime Center. The Crime Center would be equipped to analyze live data, monitor incidents in real time, track vehicles and detect crime patterns.

“We need to do everything we can to fund this,” Council member John DeWorken said. “The real-time data will create a safer environment for our citizens. It is game-changing.”