Anniston Crime Drops, Despite Robbery Surge

0:00This is Corey, here with your quick two-minute update from Birmingham News today. Crime in Aniston, Alabama dropped nearly 15% overall in 2025 compared to the year before. That includes big declines in violent and property crimes, with violent offenses down 15.5% and property crimes falling 14. 0.8%, homicides went from four to just two cases. A few categories but the trend though. Robbery is more than doubled from 21 to 44 incidents and sexual assaults rose from 15 to 20. Still, the city saw sharp drops in aggravated assaults from 347 to 261. This report comes amid a leadership change at the police department. Long time chief Nick Bowles retired after 25 years, including five as chief. William Paris took over earlier this year and plans to build on past strategies while partnering with residents. Officers handled over 54,000 incidents last year, including nearly 13,000 traffic stops, the top category.

1:03The department serves a city of 21,000 but covers a broader area of 41,000 people. There are two officers short but expect to fill those spots soon. Residents generally feel safe despite the robbery uptick and police are keeping a close eye on trends to sustain the progress while tackling problem areas. Support for this Dean and episode comes from our sponsor. Relax deeper, reset faster, comfort you can hear. S-O-L-I-SOLIPILLO.com