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Police chief presents 2024 executive summary showing declines in many crimes, increases in DUIs and firearms-from-vehicles
Summary
Charleston Police Department presented a preliminary 2024 executive summary showing decreases in several property-crime categories and violent crimes overall, but increases in aggravated assaults, motor-vehicle thefts and DUI arrests. Chief Chido Walker said the DUI rise reflects proactive enforcement.
Chief Chido Walker delivered a preliminary executive summary of 2024 crime data to Charleston City Council, saying the report will be finalized in the department’s forthcoming annual report.
Walker said violent crime overall decreased in 2024, with certain categories falling substantially: reported aggravated assaults fell to 36 incidents, a 28.8% decrease for that category as reported in the presentation. Property crimes also showed declines: burglaries totaled 2,221 for the year, a decrease of about 21.5%, and vehicle thefts dropped about 27.9% to 340 incidents, according to the chief’s summary.
Walker identified two categories with increases. Aggravated assaults rose slightly compared with the five-year average (328 incidents in 2024 versus a five-year average of 314, a 4.3% increase when comparing to the stated average). The department reported a small increase in motor-vehicle break-ins (785 incidents in 2024 versus a five-year average of 780, a 0.7% increase). Walker highlighted that firearms stolen from vehicles remain a serious issue: 58 firearms were taken from unsecured vehicles, an 8.2% increase.
The chief also said there were 132 overdose incidents for the year (a reported decrease) and suicides dropped by 25% for the period covered. He emphasized an initiative against impaired driving: DUI arrests increased from 452 in the prior year to 592 in 2025 (Walker framed the rise as enforcement-driven and part of city traffic-unit efforts and regional collaboration with Charleston County and state highway patrol).
When Councilmember Tinkler asked whether the increase in DUIs represented more driving or more enforcement, Walker said the rise was intentional, driven by proactive enforcement such as checkpoints and partnerships with regional agencies: “It’s very intentional.” Walker also said juvenile offenders (ages roughly 12 to 19) have been responsible for a substantial share of vehicle break-ins and stolen-vehicle incidents cited by the department.
Walker framed the summary as a snapshot and pointed council members to department public platforms for more detailed, weekly and neighborhood-level reports; he said the full annual report would be available in the coming weeks. Multiple council members commended the department’s work during the presentation.
No formal council action was taken on the report; Walker said the summary was preliminary and would be codified in the full annual report.
