The Owensboro Police Department responded to more than 35,000 calls for service in 2025 while continuing a multi-year trend of declining major crime, Deputy Chief JD Winkler told the Owensboro Board of Commissioners during a department update Tuesday night.
Winkler said patrol officers handled 35,383 calls for service and conducted 13,720 traffic stops throughout the year.
“Our call volume — 35,383 calls for service — has stayed pretty consistent over the last several years,” Winkler said. “We stay busy every day.”
In addition to responding to calls, patrol officers assisted the Criminal Investigations Division with 131 search warrants and supported 46 special events across the city, including the popular Friday After 5 concert series. Winkler said those events required the equivalent of 501 officer assignments and approximately 2,000 manpower hours.
Winkler noted that the figures do not include secondary assignments officers often work, such as football and basketball games.
“We’re glad to have those events because they make this community better,” he said. “But it does take a lot of manpower to cover them.”
Crime trends continue downward
Winkler said the department continues to see a gradual decline in both violent and property crimes, which the FBI categorizes as “Part 1” offenses.
According to data presented during the meeting, violent crime totals decreased in most categories from 2024 to 2025:
- Murder: 4 in 2025, up from 1 in 2024
- Rape: 29 in 2025, down from 48
- Robbery: 27 in 2025, down from 38
- Aggravated assault: 135 in 2025, down from 142
Property crimes also declined significantly, Winkler said:
- Burglary: 189 in 2025, down from 234
- Larceny: 1,324 in 2025, down from 1,730
- Vehicle theft: 126 in 2025, down from 227
- Arson: 3 in 2025, down from 11
Winkler said the downward trend has been consistent over several years and pushed back on the notion that Owensboro is becoming less safe.
“It bothers me every time I hear somebody say Owensboro is not safe or Owensboro is getting worse,” Winkler said. “There is not a place in this community that I wouldn’t trust my family to be at, that I wouldn’t walk to and feel safe. This is a very safe community.”
Clearance rates exceed state and national averages
The department also reported strong clearance rates — the percentage of crimes solved — compared to state and national averages.
According to Winkler, in 2025, OPD cleared 66.8% of violent crimes, compared with 50% statewide and 41% nationally. Property crime clearance rates were 39.6% in Owensboro, compared with 31% statewide and 16% nationally.
Winkler said solving crimes often requires extensive investigative work long after officers leave the initial scene.
“When officers respond to a call, we’re not finished when we leave,” he said. “A lot of these calls have hours, dozens of hours — sometimes hundreds or even thousands of hours — that go into an investigation.”
Investigations target major drug sources
The Criminal Investigations Division also reported significant enforcement activity.
Winkler said digital forensics investigators examined 254 cell phones, 12 computers, and 28 digital media devices. The department also conducted 41 Internet Crimes Against Children investigations, resulting in 16 arrests and 427 charges involving child sexual abuse material.
Winkler said those cases sometimes create the perception that such crimes are more prevalent locally.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean we have more of that crime in Owensboro than anywhere else,” he said. “But it is one thing I will say — we are investigating it.”
The department’s street crimes unit also reported seven federal indictments. It seized significant quantities of narcotics, including about eight pounds of methamphetamine, one pound of cocaine, 13 pounds of fentanyl, and roughly 16.5 pounds of synthetic drugs.
Winkler said investigators increasingly focus on suppliers rather than low-level users.
“Our goal is to try to go to the source,” he said. “We know we can’t eliminate it, but we want to make Owensboro very unappealing for anybody sending drugs into our community.”
Internal oversight and accountability
Winkler said the department’s Professional Standards Unit conducted 46 administrative investigations during the year, involving 123 possible administrative charges.
Of those cases, 26 complaints were filed externally by the public, and 20 were generated internally by department leadership.
According to Winkler, investigations resulted in 19 findings of not-sustained violations, 49 exonerated violations, 49 sustained violations, and four unfounded violations.
Winkler said the department evaluates the full context of each incident rather than focusing solely on the original complaint.
“We’re not perfect. We make mistakes just like anybody else,” he said. “But we are committed to learning from our mistakes, correcting them, and doing the best we can to serve our community.”
New officers joining the force
The department also welcomed two new academy classes in 2025.
OPD Class No. 2 completed the academy from Jan. 13 to June 27, graduating officers Trystan Blue, Gabriel Quintana Melton, Adrian Terrazas, and Eestan Costello.
Class No. 3, which ran from Aug. 13, 2025, to Jan. 16, 2026, graduated officers Joseph Riley, Zachary Farmer, Jodie Crow, and Megan Bryan. Those officers are currently completing field training and are expected to begin independent patrol later this year.
A fourth academy class began training this week.
Community programs remain a priority
Winkler also highlighted several community outreach efforts, including Operation Santa, which delivered 350 meal boxes to local families.
Other initiatives included Police in the Park events at several Owensboro parks, the Citizens Academy with 18 graduates, expanded Coffee with a Cop events at senior living facilities, Camp KOPS for fifth-grade students, and youth programs funded through the department’s annual golf scramble.
Officers also logged about 2,000 visits and 1,000 hours through the department’s Adopt-A-School program.
Winkler said many of those programs originate from officers themselves rather than department leadership.
“That’s not stuff the chief or command staff directs them to do,” he said. “It makes me proud how much the officers bring to us that they want to do. That’s the culture of the department — they’re part of the community.”
