The Greenville Police Department (GPD) is reporting a dramatic drop in crime despite population growth.
New data shows crime within the city is down 55% over the past 25 years while the number of residents has increased from 58,721 to 79,205 during the same time period. Since 2010, the City of Greenville has, give or take, added 1,000 new residents per year.
The GPD crime analysis also reported a 65% reduction in the likelihood that residents would be a victim of crime. In 2000, the per capita crime rate was 94 incidents per 1,000 residents. In 2025, the rate dropped to 33 incidents per 1,000 residents.
Police Chief Howie Thompson credited a higher number of police officers, additional shifts during what had long been peak hours for crimes, and increased training and equipment for those officers as reasons for the drop.
Chief Howie also acknowledged that the use of aerial technology has paid dividends when it comes to solving cases, specifically drones. He said drones have been instrumental in finding missing people as well as locating suspects to get those individuals in custody and prevent them from hurting other people.
More information about the GPD crime analysis and details on next steps can be found here.