Bryan crime drops 74% while jail population falls

Bryan police data shows Uniform Crime Reporting Part I offenses fell from nearly 5,000 in 1991 to approximately 1,300 in 2025. This represents a reduction of close to 74 percent over three decades.

The city reported a 5.8 percent decrease in crime from January through July 2026 compared to the same period last year. Burglary reports specifically dropped 22.5 percent since 2025. These figures align with a steady population increase, as the city grew from 78,368 residents in 2014 to 87,939 in 2024.

Bryan Police Chief Dean Swartzlander stated that short-term data fluctuations can be misleading. He noted that the community is larger today, but long-term reported crime has declined. The department credits the drop to proactive policing, community partnerships, and regular reviews of intelligence to target repeat offenders.

In College Station, annual reports show declines in several major offenses between 2014 and 2024. Aggravated assault reports dropped 31 percent from 2024 to 2025. However, robbery reports jumped from 22 cases in 2023 to 126 in 2024. Chief Billy Couch told the city council in February that increased enforcement at Northgate resulted in 58 percent more arrests from 2024 to 2025.

Couch said the SWAT team conducted 18 operations in 2025, including two hostage rescues. The department recently sought volunteers from local businesses to use their properties for SWAT training exercises on October 20. No live ammunition was used during these drills.

Brazos County jail population peaked at 840 inmates in July 2024. By September 15, Chief Deputy of Corrections Kevin Stuart reported the count had fallen to 607. Stuart said the decline allowed the county to close a dormitory and eliminate a staffing post that required five full-time employees.

Stuart credited faster paperwork processing for convicted felons with reducing the number of state-sentenced inmates in local custody. That number dropped from a range of 140 to 150 down to 80 to 90. He also cited more efficient court processing and increased capacity in the public defender’s office as contributing factors to the lower population.

District Attorney Jarvis Parsons confirmed a downward trend in local crime. He said the office focuses on high-impact cases to keep violent offenders off the streets. The county also operates a mental health specialty court with nine participants and a drug-and-alcohol court with 60 participants under Judge David Hilburn.