Amarillo police report year-end crime declines; staff and engineers detail fatal crash locations and signal-timing limits

The Amarillo Police Department told the City Council the city—s Part 1 crimes fell 12.5 percent from 2023 to 2024, while the department credited technological tools for a sharp rise in recovered stolen vehicles. Later in the meeting city traffic and public-works staff presented a 14-month review of fatal crashes at controlled intersections and described the limits of adjusting signal timing.

Why it matters: Council members said they want to address fatal crashes and street racing with both enforcement and engineering. Staff described specific engineering constraints that affect how quickly signal timings can be changed and urged a data-driven approach to adjustments.

Police data: Chief Johnson said Amarillo—s authorized police strength is 378 officers and that the department currently has 336 sworn officers with 32 vacancies. He reported part 1 index crimes fell 12.5 percent year over year, driven by a 14.2 percent drop in property crime and a 5.3 percent decrease in violent crime. On stolen vehicles Chief Johnson credited license-plate-reader technology: "We recovered 164 stolen autos in 2024 that are directly from LPR hits," which he said "way, way eclipses anything we ever did before the LPR."

Hot spots and approach: Johnson and staff described a focused strategy that uses patrol, motors, traffic investigators and specialized units. He identified a Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) zone as a persistent hot spot for violent crime and homicides and described the department—s use of intelligence and neighborhood policing to address location, offender and victim factors.

Traffic fatalities and causes: Donnie Hooper, who presented a traffic accident update, said Amarillo recorded 20 total fatal crashes in 2024 from roughly 6,084 total crashes (less than 0.5 percent). Hooper said that, in the 14-month sample of fatal crashes at controlled intersections, nine crashes produced 12 fatalities and that contributing factors included speed (50 percent) and alcohol (25 percent). He reported four pedestrian fatalities in 2024 and noted two multi-fatality crashes that resulted in intoxication and manslaughter charges.

Signal timing limits and engineering guidance: Alan Harder, director of public works, explained signal standards contained in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Harder said the MUTCD sets minimum values for the yellow-change interval (minimum 3 seconds) and the red-clearance interval (the "all red," minimum 1 second), and that the city—s controllers will not accept a yellow interval less than three seconds. "Too brief a time may result in drivers being unable to stop safely," Harder said, and added that "traffic volume is not a factor" in timing; speed limit and intersection width primarily determine intervals.

Enforcement and racing operations: Council asked about street-racing operations and enforcement. Chief Johnson said the department runs two or three racing operations in warm months and that those operations are resource-intensive because they remove officers from regular assignments. He said motors and grant-funded enforcement (DUI, speed, seat belts) are part of addressing high-speed incidents.

Council direction: Council members asked staff for additional intersection-specific engineering analyses and to return with per-capita crime rates, further evaluation of the 40th Street/5th Avenue area that residents flagged, and a plan for data snapshots or midday drone imagery to document parking and traffic patterns when relevant. No ordinance or formal vote was taken on enforcement or timing changes during the meeting.