CRIME: Are we safer thank we think?
Murders, assaults aren’t the crimes residents in Franklin, Lauderdale and Colbert counties have to worry most about. A six-year review of the crimes reported annually to the Federal Bureau of Investigation show residents are more likely to experience a theft, a burglary or an aggravated assault than a major life-threatening crime.
Larceny thefts, burglaries and aggravated assaults have consistently ranked among the most reported crimes in Lauderdale, Colbert and Franklin counties during the last six years, while homicides and rapes vary from year to year.
Crime statistics from 2020 to 2025 reflect the numbers law enforcement agencies in Alabama report annually to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which then reports to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
“Participation in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program is voluntary. States and agencies have until a designated date in early April to submit data for inclusion in the “Reported Crimes in the Nation” annual report,” said Nicole Stewart, FBI spokesperson.
Law enforcement officials across the region say the trends reflect a mix of population differences, pandemic impacts and local policing strategies.
RUSSELLVILLE
The city of Russellville in Franklin County has a population of 10,736. Crime numbers from 2020 through 2025 show a major spike in 2021, steady changes in the years after, and several shifts in 2025, including increases in aggravated assaults and motor vehicle thefts and decreases in robberies and larceny thefts.
Violent crime
Aggravated assaults remain one of the higher categories. There were three cases in 2020. That jumped to 23 in 2021 and stayed high at 21 in 2022. The number dropped to nine in both 2023 and 2024, but in 2025 rose to 19.
Police Chief Chris Hargett said the increase from 2024 to 2025 is not as large as it looks. He said three or four cases in the earlier years were unfounded.
“We had one instance [in 2025] where three officers charged an individual that fought with them with aggravated assault, which is a total of seven charges. So that is really not that much difference in the aggravated assault [cases],” he said Robbery has remained low. There were no robberies reported from 2020 to 2023. In 2024, there were two. In 2025, the number returned to zero.
Homicide numbers have also stayed low. There were no homicides in 2020, 2023 or 2025. There were two in 2021 and one in both 2022 and 2024.
Rape cases have remained low overall. There were no reported cases in 2020, 2024 or 2025. There was one in 2021, five in 2022 and two in 2023.
Property crime
Larceny theft has been the most common crime in Russellville during the six-year period. There were 15 cases in 2020. That jumped to 156 in 2021 and rose again to 171 in 2022. In 2023, it reached 220 cases, the highest in the six-year period. It dropped to 171 in 2024 and then fell sharply to 90 in 2025.
Hargett said the low number of cases in 2020 was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With most people staying inside due to quarantine, most crime saw a drop.
Hargett said he is not sure why larceny thefts dropped so much in 2025.
“I would love to say it is because of proactivity, but I really can’t say,” he said.
Motor vehicle thefts rose from seven cases in 2024 to 12 in 2025. Hargett said some of those reports were later found to be unfounded. In some cases, friends had the vehicle and it was not actually stolen. In other cases, vehicles had been repossessed. He said those situations can affect the yearly totals.
Burglaries saw a large spike in 2021 with 50 cases, compared to just four in 2020. It dropped to 21 in 2022, rose to 27 in 2023 and 38 in 2024, then fell to 30 in 2025. While still higher than 2020 levels, it is well below the 2021 peak.
Arson has been rare but has slowly increased in the past few years. There were no cases in 2020. There was one in 2021 and one in 2022. There were none in 2023, one in 2024 and two in 2025.
RED BAY
The city of Red Bay has a population of around 3,200. Crime numbers from 2020 through 2025 remained low overall compared to larger cities in the region, although the city saw increases in burglary and motor vehicle theft in 2025 and its first reported homicides in the six-year period.
Violent crime
Homicides had remained at zero every year from 2020 through 2024. In 2025, the city reported two homicides.
Police Chief Janna Jackson said the cases were related and involved members of the same family.
“That case involved three members of the same family. During the investigation it was discovered that one family member took the lives of two other family members and then took their own life,” Jackson said.
Because homicides are rare in Red Bay, even one incident can significantly affect yearly totals.
Robbery numbers stayed at zero throughout the entire six-year period.
Aggravated assault has generally declined since 2021. There were two cases in 2020, eight in 2021 and six in 2022. The number stayed at six in 2023 before dropping to four in 2024 and three in 2025.
Rape cases remained low throughout the six year period. There were three reported cases in 2020, one in 2021, three in 2022, two in 2023 and three in 2024. In 2025, there were no reported rape cases.
Jackson said rape statistics reflect reported cases and may not fully represent how many assaults actually occurred.
“I’m sure there are things in our city that don’t get reported,” Jackson said. “It’s a possibility that it could be a victim unwilling to come forth.”
Property crime
Property crimes made up the largest share of reported crimes in Red Bay during the six year period.
Larceny theft was consistently the most common crime category. There were 23 cases in 2020, 44 in 2021 and 51 in 2022. The number increased again to 58 in 2023 before dropping to 37 in 2024 and 28 in 2025.
While larceny theft declined in 2025, burglary and motor vehicle theft both increased compared to the previous year.
Burglary cases rose from two in 2024 to six in 2025. Earlier years showed four burglaries in 2020, nine in 2021, five in 2022 and 10 in 2023.
Motor vehicle theft also increased. There were three reported cases in 2024 and six in 2025. The city previously reported five cases in 2020, four in 2021, nine in 2022 and 10 in 2023.
Jackson did not point to one specific reason for the increases, but said officer visibility and patrol efforts may have contributed to the decline in larceny theft.
Arson numbers remained at zero every year from 2020 through 2025.
PHIL CAMPBELL
The town of Phil Campbell has a population of around 780. Crime numbers from 2020 through 2025 remained low overall, with most categories reporting only a handful of cases each year. The data shows larceny theft and burglary were the most commonly reported crimes during the six-year period, while violent crimes such as homicide, robbery and rape remained rare.
Property crime
Larceny theft was consistently the most reported crime in Phil Campbell. There were 15 cases in 2020, followed by 156 in 2021 and 171 in 2022. The number peaked at 220 in 2023 before dropping to 171 in 2024 and then falling sharply to 90 in 2025.
Burglary numbers stayed lower but followed a similar pattern. There were four burglaries reported in 2020, three in 2021 and five in 2022. The number increased to 27 in 2023 and 38 in 2024 before declining to 30 in 2025.
Motor vehicle theft remained relatively low throughout the six years. There were two cases in 2020, three in 2021 and two in 2022. The number dropped to one in 2023 and no cases were reported in either 2024 or 2025.
Arson was rare in Phil Campbell. There were no reported cases in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025. One case was reported in 2021.
Violent crime
Violent crime numbers remained very low overall. No homicides were reported from 2020 through 2025.
Rape cases were also limited. One rape was reported in 2020 and another in 2023. No rape cases were reported in 2021, 2022, 2024 or 2025.
Robbery remained nearly nonexistent during the six-year period. No robberies were reported from 2020 through 2024. One robbery was reported in 2025.
Aggravated assault numbers fluctuated but stayed relatively low compared to larger cities in the region. There was one reported case in 2020 and one in 2021. The number rose to two in 2022 and remained at two in 2023. No aggravated assaults were reported in 2024 or 2025.
The Franklin County Times reached out to Phil Campbell Police Chief Jessica Clements but did not receive a response at the time of reporting.
COVID’S IMPACT
Crime in the Shoals saw its most dramatic spike in 2021 with sharp increases in violent and property crimes reported in nearly every city.
In Florence, nearly every major category increased in 2021 from 2020. Homicides rose to six. Rapes jumped to 35. Aggravated assaults climbed to 161. Property crimes also surged with 221 burglaries and 1,047 larceny thefts reported.
Meza, public information officer for the Florence Police Department, said the jump in crime was likely tied to the effects of COVID 19.
“[The year] 2021 was a unique period of time following pandemic disruptions,” he said. “Increased social activity, economic strain and national crime trends impacted many communities.”
A similar pattern appeared in Muscle Shoals. Aggravated assaults tripled from nine in 2020 to 27 in 2021. Burglaries jumped from 29 to 160. Larceny thefts more than doubled, and motor vehicle thefts also increased.
In Russellville, Hargett said 2021 was a high crime year across the board. The city reported two homicides, 23 aggravated assaults, 50 burglaries and 156 larceny thefts.
