Amarillo Violent Crime Rate Down

Amarillo police say the final crime numbers for 2023 show a decrease in violent and property crimes.

The decline shows a change from 2022, where the numbers in these two categories were on the upswing.

Chief Ken Brkenfeld says the police are putting a lot of time and energy into violent crime prevention and investigations, especially on street gangs and illegal gang activity.

Birkenfeld also says APD Is working closely with state and federal prosecutors, to make sure that anyone who commits a shooting in Amarillo is held accountable at the highest level.

APD has heavily investigated in the Project Safe Neighborhood Program which often results in the highest level of prosecution of known felons and gang members in possession of drugs or guns, and the Criminal Investigation Division has added resources for homicide investigations.

Chief Birkenfeld says APD detectives have one of the highest clearance rates in the United States.

The Chief credits detective work with consistently identifying and arrest the offender in more than 88% of murder cases.