Report Shows Improvement in Danville Crime Rate

Danville Police Chief Christopher Yates says his department no longer has a recruiting problem. Bill Pickett has the story…

Commenting on the department’s annual report Tuesday evening, Chief Yates credited those currently on the department with reducing Danville’s crime rate in some key areas last year.  But he adds there’s still work to do….

{AUDIO:  “If you compare 2018 through the end of  2024, we had some significant decreases in most of our violent crime. But, you know, it’s still just numbers. And I think we need to focus on how do our people feel.  Do they feel safer? Do they feel more comfortable? I get a lot of positive feedback.  At the same time I think the community lets us know whether or not we’re at a place we need to be. I don’t think we are.  But we’ll continue to strive towards that.”}

The report shows there were 5 criminal homicides in Danville last year, compared to 6 in 2023 and 8 in 2022.  Police responded to 78 shots fired calls in Danville last year – compared to 306 in 2020.  There was a shooting victim in 21 cases last year compared to 40 in 2020.  The report also shows there were 41 rapes reported in Danville last year compared to 24 in 2023.  The number of burglaries increased from 265 two years ago to 304 last year.  Theft reports also rose – climbing to 1,258 last year compared to 1,072 in 2023.   There were also 92 motor vehicle thefts reported in Danville last year – up from 77 the previous year.

         Chief Yates was asked how the public can help improve the numbers….

{AUDIO:  “The public can help by communicating with us.  Talking to us (and) building that relationship.  It’s mutual trust. We have to do things to develop trust with the community (and) the community likewise.  That’s a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. I think we’ve made wonderful strides over the last five or six years, but we still have a ways to go.  But the more we bridge those relationships and bridge those differences to where there’s common ground I think we get places. And we’ve just got to keep going that way.}

The 36 officers in the Patrol Division responded to 38-thousand calls for service last year – an average of over 1,000 calls per officer.  Overall the department currently has 69 personnel with five more police candidates now attending the Police Training Institute.