Homicides down as new chief takes over at Killeen Police Department

Killeen Daily Herald
By Jana Lynn Kilcrease | Herald Staff Writer
June 11, 2023

As a new chief takes over at the Killeen Police Department, records show he comes into the office as Killeen’s homicide rate is significantly lower than in 2023.

KPD Chief Pedro Lopez Jr, who was sworn in on Monday, now also oversees a KPD transparency webpage that has not been updated in months.

Although overall crime statistics are a little difficult to decipher at the moment, Killeen did record it’s fifth homicide this week which is down from the same time last year. By June 14, 2022, Killeen had seen 12 homicides since the first of the year. Two men were found fatally shot in a vehicle in west Killeen on Saturday; however, police have not publicly called that a homicide case, instead referring to it as a “death investigation.”

Up-to-date crime statistics, which in the past have been posted monthly to the KPD transparency webpage, have not been updated since November. On the website, killeentexas.gov/558/Department-Transparency these reports are posted under the heading “Department Transparency.”

The page says: “Transparency is vital to the success of a community police partnership. Pillar one of 21st Century Policing advocates a culture of transparency and accountability. The resources on these links are available so that citizens can review and understand our commonly discussed policies, crime statistics, internal affairs and agency demographics. The information will be updated monthly to assist citizens with current information about the department and our community.”

In his speech to the media following his swearing-in, Lopez talked about transparency and accountability.

“My vision for this police department is rooted in reducing crime, community partnership, transparency, and accountability,” Lopez said. “Transparency will be a cornerstone of our approach. We will strive to provide timely and accurate information to the public about our activities, policies, and investigations.”

The Herald has reached out to KPD’s public information officer Ofelia Miramontez on numerous occasions, including last week, to request these reports or to determine when the reports might be published.

On Tuesday, the Herald requested the monthly crime reports from December 2022 through May 2023, and the status of KPD’s 2022 Annual Report. The response from Miramontez was, “I do not have a date on when the annual report will be published. When it is available, it will be posted on our website.”

KPD’s 2021 Annual Report was made public in May 2022, but was vague on crime statistics. A page from the 2021 report entitled “by the numbers” includes statements like “31% drop in murders” and “6% reduction in violent crimes” and “39% decrease in robberies.”

The report did not include specific crime numbers.

The report also includes a graph which appeared to show a decrease in the crime rate in Killeen from 2000 to 2020, but with no actual crime numbers.

A check of the department’s website Saturday revealed that there have been no updates to either the monthly crime report or the annual report.

Under former police chief Charles Kimble, KPD created the transparency page in 2020, including on it crime statistics, department demographics, policies and internal affairs information.

“We are committed to providing increased transparency to the community through this new addition to our website,” KPD said at the time. “Transparency is vital to the success of a community police partnership.”