Crockett police report shows uptick in thefts; chief says escaped inmate not believed local

The City of Crockett’s police chief told the council the department handled 564 calls for service in April and highlighted a rise in theft reports concentrated at the local Walmart.

In a monthly report to the mayor and council, the chief said the department had 13 officers who logged 2,606 hours in April; officers responded to 15 traffic accidents, made 39 arrests, issued 96 traffic citations and completed 79 case reports. “The majority of those theft calls come from Walmart,” the chief said, adding that a new loss-prevention employee at that store has been active and that has increased reported incidents.

The chief also addressed community concern about an escaped inmate from Leon County, saying the department has received calls but “we have no reason to believe that he’s in this area.” That assertion was presented as the department’s current information and not as the result of an investigation presented at the meeting.

The council had no substantive debate and accepted the report. No formal action or additional resource request tied to the April police statistics was recorded at the meeting.