Citronelle police reported a sharp drop in major crimes for 2019, crediting a new community-focused policing strategy.
The department’s year-end numbers show major crimes — including robberies, shootings and harassment — fell nearly 35% compared with the previous year. Homicides fell from four in 2018 to one in 2019.
Police Chief Tyler Norris, who took over the department in 2019, attributed the improvement to “Operation Take Back Citro,” an initiative aimed at cracking down on crime while keeping officers visible in the community.
“That’s how you run bad guys out of town is you watch every move they make,” Norris said. “We’ve put people back in the community and we’ve put people back out riding and doing their job. It’s community oriented policing.”
The operation formally ended Jan. 24, one year after it launched, but Norris said the mission continues and his department remains committed to making the city safer.