Officials Cite Visibility, Casework as Houston County Crime Rate Falls

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY — Houston County’s overall crime rate fell 11.54% in 2025 compared with 2024, dropping from 1,429.9 to 1,264.9 offenses per 100,000 population, according to state crime data.

The nearly 12% decline included decreases in several major categories. Aggravated assaults fell from 109 to 99, a 9.17% decrease. Burglaries dropped from 40 to 27, down 32.50%. Larceny-theft declined from 141 to 119, a 15.60% decrease, while motor vehicle theft fell from 20 to 18, down 10%.

Not every category declined. Murder and non-negligent homicide increased from two cases to three, while robberies rose from three to four. Manslaughter by negligence remained at one case in both years. No human-trafficking cases were recorded in either year.

Houston County Sheriff Zak Benge said the figures are encouraging, but he was hesitant to attribute the decline to any single agency.

“Those are the type of statistics you want to see,” Benge said. “It ought to make the people in the community and county feel a little bit better to know that crime is going down.”

Benge said visible officers and stronger connections between law enforcement and the community are important factors.

“I do think that having officers on the streets, being seen, always plays a big part,” Benge said. “You’ve got to be part of the community, and we’re working on that. I think we’ve made some ground on being more involved and being seen more.”

“There’s always more work to do, but I’m proud of the progress we’ve made,” he said.

Crockett Police Chief Clayton Smith also pointed to several factors, including technology, casework and officer visibility.

“Honestly, I think it’s really a combination of things,” Smith said. “Equipment, modern technology, obviously helps a lot. But at the end of the day, good old-fashioned casework, staying on top of stuff, helps keep things down because when people know they’re going to get caught, they’re a lot less likely to do things in your jurisdiction.”

Smith said equipment in patrol vehicles allows officers to complete some work without returning to the police department. In-car computers and ticket-writing equipment can help speed up traffic stops and allow officers to spend more time moving through neighborhoods and being visible.

He also credited proactive police work, saying officers often try to address potential problems before they become crimes.

“We hear potential issues and try to defuse those issues before they become a crime,” Smith said. “Obviously, that doesn’t always work, but it’s been pretty successful for Crockett PD.”

That work depends in part on communication between officers and residents, Smith said.

“If your community is talking to you, you’re engaged with your community, you hear a lot more,” he said.

Grapeland Police Chief Bobby Bishop said officer presence has also been a priority in his city. Bishop said the Grapeland Police Department has added both full-time and part-time officers, and he believes additional staffing could help reduce crime even further.

“I think, in part, a large part of that would be officer presence, more officers on the street,” Bishop said. “If we could hire more than what’s budgeted, I believe crime would go down more because of officer presence, knowing there’s an officer out working.”

Bishop said the department has received positive feedback from residents who have noticed officers in the community.

“I’ve gotten good feedback from citizens who live here in Grapeland and nearby,” he said. “They’ve been able to tell, and I think the small crimes have gone down because of that — knowing there’s an officer ready and available.”

Smith said cooperation among law-enforcement agencies also expands the number of officers available to respond to problems throughout the county.

“All of our agencies in this county work well together,” Smith said. “We back each other up.”

He explained that cooperation can effectively multiply the number of officers covering an area.

“Where I may have two officers on the street at night, the deputies may have two and maybe two highway patrol and two Grapeland,” Smith said. “Now you’ve turned your two patrolmen into eight.”

Smith said that cooperation, combined with strong follow-up investigations, can help prevent future crimes by sending a message that offenses will be investigated.

“When your officers are doing good casework, good follow-ups, solving cases that do come about, I think it sends a message that they’re not just going to let you slide over there in Crockett or Houston County,” Smith said.

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]