Statistics from the Brownsville Police Department shows the city saw a reported total of 4,435 crimes in 2023.

It’s an increase of more than 100 reported crimes in 2022.

The figure includes violent crimes such as murder, and non-violent crimes such as theft.  

“Unfortunately, any one of those crimes is one crime too many,” Brownsville police Chief Felix Sauceda said. “These are serious crimes."

Sauceda said there were eight murders in his city in 2023, double from the year before.  

In 2023, more than 332 vehicle thefts were also reported — an increase of 140 compared to the year before. 

A number of those thefts were trucks that were taken to Mexico, Sauceda said, adding that Brownsville police have made several arrests linked to vehicle thefts.

“We continue to work with educating our community in staying vigilant, and everything we can try to do to avoid those senseless crimes,” Sauceda said.

The police department is updating their computer system. Chief Sauceda says it helps dispatchers report crimes faster, and helps officers act quicker. 

The department is also working on hiring and training more officers. 

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