Niceville Police: Very low crime rates in July

Niceville Interim Police Chief Rob Lovering informed the city council that this would be his last term as chief.

The City of Niceville has begun searching for a permanent replacement for David Popwell, retired Niceville Police Chief, who abruptly left office at the beginning of the year.

The city has further narrowed the field of candidates through advisory committees that interviewed a list of unknown candidates. According to sources familiar with the situation, the process has boiled down to the final few candidates. Ultimately, City Manager David Deitch, The authority to hire lies with him.

Police community activities

The Niceville Police Department has also established a Community Relations Unit under the leadership of Police Chief Lovering. Captain Joseph Kerns is leading the effort of the city's finest. In July, they taught a women's self-defense class and purchased food from Po' Folks to feed more than 80 residents and staff at the Twin Cities Pavilion. They also taught fingerprinting and crime prevention to local Girl Scout groups at the Niceville Library's Merit Badge University on August 10.

Finally, the police announced that they would support a fundraising 5 km run. in the near future.

Niceville Crime Statistics for July

In July, Niceville police responded to 2,099 calls for assistance – this continues the negative trend in calls to the Niceville Police Department that began in January from 2023, when calls reached over 4,500 that month.

Within the city limits, 43 accidents occurred involving 85 vehicles – and NPD officers issued 161 tickets. Chief Lovering noted that Sergeant Phil Ritcheson won a national award for the number of tickets issued during the year as well as.

The number of arrests was very low compared on historical dates in the city. Niceville police arrested six people for misdemeanors and two for felonies. Police also arrested three people for drunk driving.