Police in Arlington are looking to build on the 5% decrease in overall crime experienced in 2024, Police Chief Al Jones told the city council at a work session Tuesday.
The city saw that decrease even with two more homicides than in 2023, Jones said.
The decrease in overall crime is part of a trend in the city, with crime rates dropping each year since 2020, according to a presentation Jones shared with the council. The decrease in 2024 included drops of 5% in crimes against society, 6% in crimes against property and 1% in crimes against persons.
Jones said the department is using technology to assist in reducing criminal activity in the city. His department will be using drones to respond swiftly to incidents, plans to increase staffing at the real-time crime center and encourage businesses and residents to connect private cameras to police networks.
He also highlighted top marks the department received from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. He said the department saw great success from 2024’s National Night Out, an annual party held across the country meant to build relationships between police and the community and successfully provided security for the MLB All-Star Game.
More murders and closing a cold case
Arlington police investigated 17 murders in 2024, two more than in 2023.
“Homicides are probably one of the most difficult and challenging aspects of crime fighting, looking at the investigations and solving homicides” Jones told the council.
That figure was released in February as part of the National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, a federal program where law enforcement agencies across the country submit crime data to be analyzed nationally.
Sgt. Alex Rosado said when the NIBRS report was released that police want to see no murders in the city, but the overall 1% reduction in crimes against persons is something the department is happy about.
“Some years it shows that crime is going down and some years it does show that it’s going up,” Rosado said at the time. “Any time it can go down, we’re very proud of that.”
Rosado, the head of the Arlington police public information office, said the city has seen an 11% decrease in crime in the city from 2022 to the end of 2024. Between 2022 and 2023, violent crime alone saw an 11% decline.
Jones said at the Tuesday meeting that investigators cleared 86% of murders in 2024.
“This is extremely great in terms of solvability,” Jones said. “Our men and women in the homicide unit are performing well above the national average, which is 58%.”
Jones also highlighted how police solved the February 1985 cold case murder of Terri McAdams, a UT Arlington student who was beaten to death in her home.
Police last year identified her killer as Bernard Sharp using investigative genetic genealogy. Sharp died nine months after killing McAdams when he shot his wife and two other women before turning the gun on himself, Arlington police said last year.
Karen Hopper, McAdam’s younger sister, told the Star-Telegram after the announcement last year that identifying the killer didn’t necessarily bring closure to those who loved her but did offer peace.
“Terri was an amazing girl, beautiful and full of life,” Hopper told the Star-Telegram at that time. “She was the best big sister to me and Pamela.”
Traffic stops and fatalities
Arlington police made more than 83,000 traffic stops in 2024, an increase of around 50%, Jones said. In response to a question from District 1 council member Mauricio Galante. He said that increase meant police were “working around the clock” on traffic enforcement.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our men and women,” Jones said. “They heard the call and they went out and really started to ramp it up. I can tell, driving, I’m afraid to drive and I’ve got a police car.”
Speeding, traffic stops and roadway fatalities were a topic of discussion at a council meeting last September, when council members asked why there was a 54% decrease in traffic citations from 2016 to 2023.
Jones said at the time that agencies across the country made fewer stops in 2020 with the spread of COVID-19 and amid a heightened sensitivity toward police after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“We are coming out of something that we’ve never been into before,” Jones said at the time.
Arlington saw 35 crashes that led to 37 deaths, Jones told the council Tuesday. Those killed included 13 pedestrians and 6 motorcyclists.
One of the motorcyclists killed was 43-year-old Julie Maldonado, who police said was killed by a drunk driver who ran a red light. Maldonado was on her way home after a ride with the Dallas Moto Group.
Police made 1,208 arrests for driving while intoxicated last year and its DWI unit was recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a national organization that advocates for reducing the number of people who drive intoxicated.
Council members expressed their hope that more traffic stops and citations will result in safer streets throughout the city because drivers will know officers are enforcing traffic laws.
Andrew Piel, the council member for District 4, said he’s noticed more traffic stops in the city and is encouraged by police efforts to decrease the time it takes to respond to calls. He said that decrease will free up more officers to focus on road safety.
Mayor Jim Ross told Jones he was pulled over by Arlington police for speeding, and that City Manager Trey Yelverton witnessed it, something District 7 council member Bowie Hogg facetiously said he knew Ross somehow deserved.
Looking forward
Technology could play a big role in reducing crime throughout Arlington this year, Jones said.
The department has already begun integrating drones into operations, with drones docked at the Esports Stadium Arlington in the entertainment district and Ott Cribbs Public Safety Center, the police headquarters in Downtown.
The Unmanned Aircraft System as First Responders Program allows police to deploy drones when a call is received, giving information in real-time to officers still on the way.
Jones said the information provided by the program could help keep police and the public safe.
The drones have a range of about 1.5 miles and can fly for around 30 minutes before needing to dock again. They have a top speed of around 50 mph but require visibility of at least 3 miles and cannot fly in stormy weather.
The information will be gathered and relayed by the Real Time Crime Center, which uses cameras, license plate recognition and gunshot recognition to provide officers with intelligence. It allows officers to locate suspects, respond quicker to emergencies, identify some shootings before they’re reported to 911 and have a fuller picture of an incident before even arriving at the scene.
The RTCC is currently staffed from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., with plans to increase staffing to 24 hours every day, Jones said.
Jones said using technology could help continue the trend of decreasing crime rates.
The department is already planning for big events next year, strategizing for the IndyCar Grand Prix and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will host games at AT&T Stadium.
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