Hopkinsville Police Chief Presents Crime Data To Committee

Police Chief Clayton Sumner stated during his quarterly report to the Hopkinsville City Council Committee of the Whole Thursday night that overall reported crimes are down this year and violent crimes are up.

Sumner said overall reported crime is down, at this point, compared to previous years.

However, he said there has been an increase in violence against police officers in 2019, which is occurring nationwide.

Sumner stated he knows his “cultural” comment Tuesday night may not have gone over well with some people but added he stands by his comment.

As an example, he referred to the March 31st murder of William McAllister on East 2nd Street and that nobody called 911. He added the cultural comment had nothing to do with race.

Sumner also said shots fired calls are slightly higher compared to previous years. He stated out of the 58 shots fired calls to date, 17 have been confirmed which includes thirteen people shot.

Out of those, he noted arrests have been made in the Bethel Street murder, the shooting of Officer Jeremy Davidson, and in a domestic-related shooting. He also stated that he believes the majority of the individuals involved in the shots fired calls are 15 to 25-year olds.

In order to determine if there is a connection in the shootings, Sumner said the police department has partnered with the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and when they get a gun or collect shell casings they take them to Lexington to undergo testing.

Overall, Sumner believes the community is safe.

He says the gun violence is not random, but targeted and is a very small percentage when compared to the population of Hopkinsville.

After Sumner’s report, the committee voted to forward to the city council a police officer lateral hire incentive policy in which a new sign-on will receive a $9,000 award after completing a six-month probationary period with the city.