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Sweetwater police report 34% drop in major crimes in 2024, describe mobile camera trailers and equipment purchases
Summary
Police Chief Sergio Diaz told the City of Sweetwater Commission that major crimes fell 34% in 2024 compared with 2023, outlined data-driven policing (ComStat), and described deployment and planned purchases of camera trailers and a pole camera; the commission discussed buying additional trailers in the next budget cycle.
Chief Sergio Diaz told the City of Sweetwater commissioners that the police department’s data-driven policing effort produced a 34% reduction in major crimes in 2024 compared with 2023. “I said at the promotional ceremony that our crime rate went down by 34%,” he said, describing the department’s use of a ComStat mapping and tracking system.
Diaz gave specific figures for some categories: “In 2023, we had 42 aggravated assaults. In 2024, we had 19,” he said. He added that reported batteries fell from 2 in 2023 to 0 in 2024. Diaz said burglaries were 106 in 2024; the 2023 burglary number he gave was not clearly audible in the public transcript.
Diaz described the department’s use of mobile camera trailers and pole cameras. He said the city bought two camera trailers and is using one additional trailer lent by a company; the department moves them strategically and has placed one near the river by a dormitory complex and others in the inner core and dumping hot spots. “The littering, the dumping has gone down drastically,” Diaz said, attributing some enforcement success to the cameras and related arrests.
On equipment procurement, Diaz said the department selected Harley-Davidson motorcycles for a new police motorcycle purchase because that vendor offered a service package covering parts such as clutches. “Harley Davidson is giving us a great service package where everything and anything is included to include clutches,” he said. Chief Diaz also noted Harley-Davidson is a United States manufacturer for police motorcycles since Kawasaki stopped U.S. production in 2005.
Commissioners discussed the potential to buy two more camera trailers in next year’s budget; no budget amendment or formal appropriation was proposed at this meeting. Diaz said he will continue to move trailers as needed and requested suggestions on placement.
Why it matters: The crime statistics and surveillance purchases inform public-safety oversight and future budget priorities. Equipment purchases and deployments can affect neighborhood privacy concerns, enforcement patterns and capital spending decisions.
Next steps: Chief Diaz will continue to deploy trailers and install a pole camera; commissioners raised the possibility of adding two more trailers in next year’s budget cycle.
