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Lenoir Police chief outlines 2025 crime trends, technology and training upgrades
Summary
Chief Andy Wilson presented the Lenoir Police Department’s 2025 annual report, citing a rise in crimes against persons and involuntary commitments, decreases in property crimes and overdoses, and investments in technology, training and digital evidence storage.
Chief Andy Wilson presented the Lenoir Police Department’s 2025 annual report to the Lenoir City Council on March 3, detailing year-to-year changes in crime statistics, department activity and operational investments.
Wilson told the council the city recorded 451 crimes against persons in 2025 — a 16.24% increase from 2024 that included one homicide — while crimes against society fell to 410 (an 8.28% decrease) and property crimes fell to 897 (a 5.68% decrease). He said calls for service and several categories of responses shifted modestly: the department logged 24,174 patrol calls for service and 39,566 citizen contacts overall.
The chief highlighted public-health and enforcement metrics: 99 overdoses in 2025 (a 10.8% decrease from 2024) and a 23% drop in opioid-induced overdoses. Officers administered Narcan 64 times in 2025, which Wilson said likely saved roughly 50 lives. The investigations division handled 2,365 criminal cases and recovered about $309,591 in stolen property; narcotics enforcement reported seizures described by Wilson as $3,052,606 worth of illegal narcotics (figure reported by the chief) and $69,861 in cash and property seized.
Wilson described department capacity and training: 10,452 training hours, 32 officers with professional certificates (about 58% of staff) and 3,839 vehicle stops with 2,438 citations issued. He noted the department’s use-of-force incidents was low — 21 uses of force out of 39,566 citizen contacts, a 44.7% decrease from 2024 — and tied that outcome to de-escalation and crisis-intervention training.
Wilson also summarized strategic investments made in 2025: adding an IT specialist to support digital forensics, upgrading in-car mobile data computers and in-car communications to meet the state-mandated Viper Phase 2 standard, and improving digital evidence storage to free physical space. He said the department realigned its Community Resources Platoon under Patrol for management efficiency and capacity reasons.
During a short follow-up question-and-answer, a councilmember asked whether mobile data computers are assigned to cars or officers; Wilson clarified the computers are assigned to the car but are typically used by the officer assigned to that vehicle.
The council thanked Wilson for the report; the 22-page annual report is included in the council packet and will be posted on the Police Department section of the city website.
