LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The Lubbock Police Department is marking its 5th year of reduced crime in the Depot District.
The Depot Unit was formed in 2021, after LPD and City Council recognized the need to combat repeated, violent crime in the area.
“There was a lot of gang violence at the time. Generally, when the bars let out at 2 a.m., crowds would form and there would be different arguments and actual physical fights,” Sgt. John Willhelm said.
And it wasn’t just an issue in 2021. Lt. Brady Cross said he saw the same issues in the area when he was a beat officer 15 years ago.
“I felt like I was always chasing my tail. I would come through, leave, and then 30 minutes later, there’d be a call for service here,” Cross said. “I was always coming back to handle a fight or a shooting, or even a pedestrian hit by a car.”
After the unit’s establishment in 2021, LPD reported a 92% decrease in violent crime by 2023.
Previous Coverage: www.kcbd.com/2024/08/28/lubbock-police-departments-depot-unit-credited-with-drop-violent-crime/
Willhelm said now, most of the crime in the area is nonviolent, such as fake IDs or public intoxication. Violent crime, he says, is rare.
“There are still going to be fights. When you get people that are intoxicated and in confined quarters, there’s going to be a fight that breaks out,” Willhelm said. “But with our partnership with staff at all of the bars down here, we have a good way to communicate between one another when there’s an issue inside [of a bar] and when we need to go in and help. Other than that, it’s pretty rare.”
The Lubbock Police Department says communication with the Depot District’s business owners is key. It reports few owners have expressed concern with the unit’s setup, and when there has been an issue, the police department has offered a sit-down meeting.
“Some people could be unhappy with how we police, but this is what’s best for this area. And so if that means that some people’s expectations aren’t met, I hate that, but this is what makes this area safest. Now we’re always looking to change and adapt and meet other expectations. But at this time, the results, you know, the proof’s in the pudding,” Cross said.
LPD credits its method of policing the area for the reduction in crime, using a community-focused approach rather than an authoritative one.
“My staff, they walk through all of the bars about once a night. It’s not just as a reminder to the staff that we’re here and making sure that they’re doing their responsible or covering their responsibilities, but us walking through is just to kind of reassure them we’re here. We’re available if you need us, but also we’re here to prevent anything from occurring,” Willhelm said.
Paul Ochoa, an officer with the Depot Unit, says he’s seen firsthand how his unit’s presence has changed the area.
“I used to come down here and enjoy it in my younger years,” Ochoa said. “It used to be pretty dangerous at some points. When they established the unit, you could just see how it’s changed. It’s more family-oriented.”
Ochoa said events like Mo’s Market and the increase in families walking around the area is a motivator for him.
“That pushes me to just make it a more safe and enjoyable environment for everybody out there,” Ochoa said.
While the Depot Unit celebrates success, its leaders are also looking at ways it can improve. The Unit currently has barricades set up between Avenue J and Buddy Holly Avenue every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night around 8 p.m. in an effort to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. Those barricades stay up until about 3 a.m.
One change the Unit is considering is how it can rework its set up to better accommodate rideshare drivers.
“The way we have it set up right now, because we have these barricades in different areas, it creates a lot of congestion in the intersections. It causes confusion with the Uber and Lyft drivers, and it causes confusion with the pedestrians,” Willhelm said. “So we’re going to move forward and try to set up a designated area close [by] that’s bright and near the businesses, where everyone can congregate and the beginning and end of the night.”
The Unit is also considering a similar set up on other busy streets across the city, like Broadway.
“We are seeing different types of crimes that have been prevented down here through this program that we think we can apply in other places in the city,” Willhelm said.
When we asked whether that meant Broadway was the ‘new’ Depot District in terms of crime, Cross said no.
“It’s a little different there. It’s primarily a Tech crowd, so younger kids who get into different kinds of trouble,” Cross said. “Intoxication is mostly what we see there, whereas crime [in the Depot District] is different. There are problems [on Broadway], but they’re different problems.”
While LPD says it’s fortunate to receive adequate resources for the city, the main need to make this goal happen is more recruits.
“A department goal and my personal goal is to eventually expand this unit. Right now it’s myself plus four officers,” Willhelm said. “In the future, I’d like to see that at least double.”
“I would say right now one of the biggest thing that holds us back is qualified applicants and getting those people trained and on the streets and getting them to where they’re on their own so that they can come help,” Cross said. “To grow means a lot of things, and it takes time.”
Officers must apply to be part of the Depot Unit. If you’d like to apply to LPD, you can find more information and a link to apply here.
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