Pharr police report three-year crime declines; chief cites data-driven patrols and mental-health unit

Pharr Police Department Director Juan Gonzalez presented the city’s Uniform Crime Report and told commissioners the city has seen decreases in both violent and property crime over the last three years.

Gonzalez summarized the department’s reported counts: violent incidents moved from 212 (2022) to 203 (2023) to 179 (2024), and combined totals cited in the presentation dropped from 1,431 and 1,412 in earlier years to 1,098 in 2024. He said that represented a three‑year decrease of about 23.3% and a 20.2% decrease from the previous year.

"We use a data-driven approach to figure out where the crime is happening," Gonzalez said, adding that redeploying officers to hotspots, improved lighting and business security measures contributed to reductions. He also credited traffic improvements, including completion of an interchange project, with a reported 20–30% month-to-month decrease in accidents in recent months.

On mental-health outreach, Gonzalez said the department’s mental‑health unit has helped intervene early: "If we're able to get them the help... perhaps they won't commit a crime," he said, linking treatment and resource referrals to lower aggravated assaults and related incidents. Commissioners asked for additional data on the mental‑health unit’s impact; Gonzalez agreed to follow up with metrics in the future.

The presentation included population context (an estimated city population of about 80,000) and staff emphasized partnerships with businesses and community groups in crime prevention. The exchange closed with commissioners expressing interest in receiving success-rate data for the mental‑health unit.