Police present declines in some violent crime after new unit; department highlights drone and prevention work

The Corpus Christi Police Department reported reductions in several violent-crime indicators after the department formed a violent-crime task force and related units, while also laying out prevention and technology strategies including an expanded drone program.

Deputy Chief Billy Breedlove presented a multi-year crime overview and then outlined enforcement and partnership actions that followed an uptick in juvenile-related violence in late 2024. "Since we created that task force in the latter part of October of that year of 2024, and we look at that same timeline, we've had a 13 percent decrease in non fatal shootings. We've had 21 percent decrease in aggravated assaults," Breedlove told the council.

What police say they did Breedlove and other department leaders said the department's approach combined three elements: focused enforcement (a violent-crime unit and NIBIN ballistic linking), interagency collaboration (juvenile probation, prosecutors and ATF), and community-facing prevention (officer-led youth programs and outreach).

Breedlove said targeted investigators and a weekly shooting review meeting with prosecutors and probation officers helped prioritize cases and obtain revocations or warrants when appropriate. The department also highlighted its gun-seizure results: the violent-crime unit alone accounted for dozens of firearms taken off the street since its formation.

Drones and technology Council members asked about drone use and other tactics. Officers described multiple drone applications: tactical SWAT support, de-escalation and first-responder reconnaissance, indoor clearing, search-and-rescue and crowd monitoring for racing or large gatherings. The department said drones can arrive on-scene quickly, provide speaker contact for crisis incidents and carry thermal sensors and even flares to find injured persons.

The police briefing included the department's request for continued partnerships around prevention and expanding analytics reporting so council members can see crime by district and clearance rates over time. Chief Markle and operations leaders said they will provide a follow-up with more granular metrics (district-level crime counts, prosecution/clearance rates and gang/drug statistics) at a future meeting.

Why it matters: policing, prevention and transparency Council members applauded the department for the reductions and for the plan to publish improved crime dashboards and district breakdowns. Several council members asked for regular updates on prosecution outcomes and for clearer linkage between enforcement, prosecution and programmatic prevention so the city can measure what's reducing violence.

Ending Police told the council that the combination of added officers, targeted investigative units and technology is producing measurable short-term declines in violent incidents, while acknowledging a continuing need for prevention partners and for the city to publish clearer district-level performance metrics.