HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Hopkinsville chief of police shared recent statistics about crime in the city during the April 23 committee of the whole meeting. This included talks about the amount drugs that were taken off the street and the possibility of further regulating lawn mowers and minibikes on the roads.

For the first three-month quarter of 2026, the Hopkinsville Police Department received 9,801 calls for service and made 457 arrests. Among these statistics, 62 juveniles received citations and 304 traffic citations were distributed.

Seizures by HPD over the past three months are as follows.

  • Guns: 25
  • Cash: $2,413
  • Marijuana: 8.87 lbs.
  • Cocaine: 3.08 oz.
  • Fentanyl: 21.16 oz.
  • Methamphetamine: 18.75 oz.

Chief Jason Newby noted that the amount of fentanyl that was seized during arrests or searches during this span of time equates to 299,937 lethal doses of the drug. The DEA and the FDA qualify a lethal dose as around two milligrams, which is only enough to cover the tip of a pencil.

“Drug seizures are up and cash is low which is good, it means we are getting the drugs before they hit the streets,” he said. Comparatively, during the quarterly report in October of 2025, only 2.32 oz of fentanyl and 1.7 pounds of marijuana were seized.

More statistics, lawn mowers on roads

Newby added that one of the guns they seized had a Glock switch on it, which turns the firearm into an automatic gun. Along with the crime stats, residents are encouraged to lock their cars at night to prevent theft, with 109 instances of larceny and five auto thefts reported this quarter.

Another issue that was brought to the attention of Newby by the public was the legality of minibikes, lawn mowers and other modes of transportation that are not motor vehicles on roadways. He urged the councilmembers to further dictate what is allowable on public roadways via an ordinance, similar to what was done when UTV use was legalized on roads.

Chief Newby additional addressed concerns about recently posted positions at the police department. He assured the public that these are not new job that required additional funding and are instead filling positions that will soon be vacant to upcoming retirements and transfers to out of state departments.

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