William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
ROCKINGHAM — The city’s violent crime rate has been on a downward trend, with 2024 seeing some of the lowest numbers so far this decade, according to the Rockingham Police Department’s annual report.
Chief George Gillenwater presented the report to the Rockingham City Council at the Feb. 11 meeting.
Serious assaults have decreased from a high of around 45 in 2021 to around 27 last year, the report shows.
(NOTE: Specific numbers are not listed in the report and the RO is estimating based on the included graphs.)
The number of robberies in 2024 appears to be about half of that from the previous year. Murders and rapes also decreased.
Source: RPD Annual Report
Gillenwater attributes the drop to being fully staffed, having investigators in place, and being able to operate saturation patrol techniques.
While the five-year call volume appears to have remained relatively steady, Gillenwater said animal control calls are not represented and the department no longer responds to requests to unlock vehicles or jump batteries, so the number has actually increased by several hundred.
The number of charges filed by the department is at a five-year high at just under 1,600, however the number of arrests (just under 800) is lower than in 2023 and on par for 2021 and 2022.
Of those arrests, more than 120 were on more than 300 narcotics charges — a number that has more than tripled since 2020. According to the report, the RPD Narcotics Unit executed more than 50 search warrants last year.
Many of those investigations were joint operations with other agencies including the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement and federal agencies the FBI, DEA and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Source: RPD Annual Report
The report states that those investigations were able to remove 19 pounds of illegal narcotics and 100 firearms from the streets.
“Each arrest, either misdemeanor or felony, represents hours, if not days and sometimes months of effort by the officers who initiated these processes,” reads the report. “2024 arrest numbers remain indicative of a proactive approach to police work.”
The report also notes that “these numbers do not necessarily reflect an increase in the crime rate, but a proactive approach, coupled with a high case closure rate.”
The number of citations issued by officers — from “traffic stops, street encounters, or calls for service to local businesses” — tripled from just under 600 in 2022 to around 1,800 in 2023 and remained relatively the same for 2024.
The report reads that citations are “the result of an officer witnessing or suspecting criminal activity and then initiating contact with an individual suspected of that criminal activity.”
Gillenwater said RPD partnered with Flock Safety in September of last year to install several cameras around town. The report states that around 300,000 vehicles were scanned per month.
The statewide Flock Safety network includes around 15,000 cameras, according to the report.
“The (license plate reader) cameras give the department the ability to enter pertinent information about a person or vehicle and then receive notification if that person or vehicle crosses the camera’s path,” reads the report. “To put it succinctly, we now have the ability to track a vehicle or person from the point of criminal activity, dependent on location, to its final destination.”
In four months, the cameras were able to identify 111 stolen license plates and 43 stolen vehicles, according to the report. Police were also able to find four missing people and three sex offenders.
When it comes to training, Gillenwater notes in the report that nearly 80% of the officers in the department have obtained either intermediate or advanced law enforcement certifications through the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education Training and Standards Commission.
Officers also logged training in the following categories: 650 hours in criminal investigations; 310 hours in traffic investigations; 350 hours in officer conduct and ethics; 700 hours in use of force; and 580 hours in leadership.
“We continue to build a culture that makes education a priority and foster an environment that prioritizes our Officers, contributing to a successful retention rate,” Gillenwater says in the close of the report.
“We are expanding our investigative capabilities and working to build relationships with outside agencies that will lead to reduced crime rates and strengthen our ability to effectively prosecute offenders,” the report concludes. “We are proud of what our staff was able to accomplish in 2024 and even more proud of the community engagement and relationships that have been developed leading to feedback that will help guide us into 2025.”
The full report is available on the RPD website.
