Edinburg Police Department Reports 22% Drop in Crime Over Five Years, Zero Homicides, Drone Program Takes Flight

Edinburg Police Department, Annual Report, Crime Statistics, Drone Program, Public Safety, Edinburg TX

Arnoldo Mata

EDINBURG TX – The Edinburg Police Department presented its 2025 Annual Report to the City Council Tuesday evening, highlighting a 22% reduction in all crimes over the past five years, zero homicides for the second consecutive year, and a rapidly expanding Drone First Responder program that has become a cornerstone of the department’s patrol strategy.

Police Chief Jaime Ayala delivered the presentation, describing the report as a comprehensive look at how the department has used its allocated resources to serve the community.

“I want to thank you for your support in providing technology and training and the equipment that we have,” Ayala told the council before walking through the numbers.

Crime Statistics

The department reported the following crime reductions over the last five years:

• All crimes: 22% reduction; 12% reduction year-over-year from 2024 to 2025
• Violent crime: 37% reduction over five years; 23% reduction year-over-year
• Crimes against property: 34% reduction over five years; 14% reduction year-over-year
• Crimes against persons: 30% reduction over five years; 15% reduction year-over-year
• DWI arrests: 31% reduction from 2024 to 2025

Ayala attributed the DWI decline in part to community behavior change. “I truly believe our community has responded to our pleas to make a plan and are making better decisions when they go out and celebrate,” he said. “Our DWI unit is still out there in force, but I think we’re just coming across fewer DWIs.”

On homicides, Ayala confirmed the city has maintained a zero-homicide record. “We still enjoy zero homicides last year and this year to date as well. So we’re really happy about that,” he said.

Mayor Omar Ochoa had previously referenced the homicide statistic at the city’s State of the City address.

Drone First Responder Program

Ayala described the department’s Drone First Responder program, known as Raven, as one of the most significant developments in the department’s recent history. The program began flying autonomously in May of last year and has expanded to include pilots in the field as well as approximately seven dispatcher-pilots.

Since launching through year-end 2025, the program has produced the following results:

• 149 persons located
• 52 calls for service cleared without requiring a patrol response
• On scene first 46% of the time, ahead of patrol officers

“If Raven is not operating, our officers let us know because they’re used to having it in the air, and they want that over-watch,” Ayala said.

He noted he did not bring video footage to the meeting in the interest of keeping the presentation brief, but said community and officer feedback on the program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Community Engagement and National Recognition

The department was ranked ninth in the nation for National Night Out participation for the second consecutive year, and was selected as the community’s favorite law enforcement agency for the third consecutive year in a local survey.

“If the community is responding to a survey and choosing us for three years, then I think our people are doing something right when they engage members of the community,” Ayala said.

Ayala credited the department’s Community-Oriented Policing unit, led by Lieutenant Ozuna and Sergeant Gaitan, for driving much of the department’s community visibility. “Those guys are upbeat all the time. They are on it — planning, getting to do summer events, with our teen academy coming up, two weeks of it, and just all the other events that they have,” he said.

New Patrol Units and Police Beats

The department rolled out new patrol units last year, which Ayala said have generated strong positive feedback from both officers and the community. The vehicles are described as higher profile and more visible, giving officers more room and presence on designated police beats, which were also introduced this past year.

“Just from the officer’s perspective and the community’s perspective, this has been a great, great investment that we’re gonna continue with your all’s support,” Ayala said.

One council member asked whether increased traffic stops were a direct result of DWI enforcement. Ayala said overall traffic enforcement has increased as the department adds officers, with speeding in neighborhoods being the top complaint received from residents. He noted four motor officers are active and very visible in the community.

Police Academy

The department received licensing to operate its own police academy. Class one consisted of eight officers, who are now in the Field Training Officer program. Class two consisted of four officers set to graduate in June. Class three, already underway, has 16 officers in training.

Personnel Recognitions

The department highlighted several individual achievements from 2025:

• Lieutenant Gabriel Villarena — 40 Under 40 recognition from the International Association of Chiefs of Police
• Lieutenant Sandra Tapia — the first female lieutenant ever promoted in the City of Edinburg
• Officers Jose Ramos and Robert Garcia — state achievement awards for valor, recognized at the state capitol
• Communications Manager Elias Martinez — state achievement award, also recognized at the capitol
• Felicia Barragan — Mentor in Uniform Award
• Crime Victim Liaison Mariana Lopez — Excellence in Advocacy Award

Ayala noted the department will return to the state capitol this month for the recognition of another employee. He also highlighted a new Honor Guard uniform, which was designed by Honor Guard members themselves and has received strong positive feedback at both celebratory and somber events.

Ayala closed by crediting the entire department, specifically naming crime and intelligence analyst Carla Martin Turis, who was present at the meeting, as the primary person responsible for compiling the annual report.

“You know you can’t do it without the staff and the officers in the field, and the support staff in records and jail and everywhere else in the department,” Ayala said. “This whole presentation, all these numbers, the book that you’re looking at, primarily was put together by our crime and intelligence analyst, Carla Martin Turis. This is their report card to you, and we appreciate your support.”

Mayor Ochoa offered extended remarks of appreciation on behalf of the council. “Just seeing the crime rate numbers and the decrease in those over the years, this is lives being saved. These are families not being torn apart. These are real impacts on real people,” Ochoa said. “On behalf of the city council, I really wanna thank you as the leader of the department and all of your staff for really leading the charge on keeping our community.