Greenville Police Chief Marcus Turner reported a 51 percent drop in violent crime since the city enforced a curfew five weeks ago during Tuesday's regular meeting of the Greenville City Council.
Police Chief Marcus Turner says the department looks at data from January 1 through the day the curfew begins. Officers responded to 420 calls of shots fired before the curfew. Since it started, that number has fallen to 47. The weekly average drops from 20 calls to 9.
Disturbance calls show the same trend. Between January 1 and May 27, police answered 724 disturbance calls. After the curfew went into effect, only 47 were reported.
“These numbers give you a total estimation of violent crime since the implementation of the curfew, at a 51 percent decrease,” Turner says.
Turner adds that most other monthly crime reports stay the same, but the drop in violence stands out.
The city puts the curfew in place to improve safety. It remains active, and city officials say they will continue tracking its impact.
Mayor Simmons says the curfew improves visibility and public safety.
“The visibility has been parallel and awesome,” he says.
City leaders have not said when the curfew might end, but they credit it for the early success.
