As we wrap up 2022, we look back at all the good, bad, and entertaining things about Amarillo. Crime rose even more, which clearly falls into the bad category. Some new businesses and restaurants opened up and that's good.

Unfortunately, it will always be the bad that outweighs the good. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that things are about to get any better in 2023 with the way things are trending.

Lubbock has seen quite an increase in juvenile crime and gang activity in 2022, and now it appears it's starting to bleed into Amarillo. According to crime analysts, one in five gun crimes in Amarillo gets traced back to street gang activity. That means one of two things. Either there are a small number of gangs in the city that are accounting for a lot of the gun crimes, or there are a lot of gangs in the area and the gun violence is spread out.

Well, we may have our answer as Amarillo police are apparently tracking 80 different groups within the city. Now that's not to say there are THAT many different gangs floating around Amarillo, but that's a lot of different groups the police have their eye on. Some could just be "gangs" that don't resort to violence but may be involved in different things that lead to it. Some of those groups are undoubtedly violent gangs that are involved in a lot of that kind of activity.

Amarillo PD recognizes there is a problem brewing in the 806, but they are using different methods to try and prevent the problem from getting worse. They've turned to technology and youth intervention programs to try and persuade these juveniles that gangs aren't the route they want to go.

They feel that by talking to these youths and finding out why they joined a gang they can persuade them to get out of the gang or not join one if they're thinking about it. I would love to see this work and the number of gangs or gang-related crimes come down while allowing the youth of Amarillo to find a better path to go down.

Texas Crime Statistics By City

Check to see how crime compares in your city versus elsewhere.

Unsolved Murders of Amarillo, Texas

These are the unsolved murders of Amarillo, Texas.

If you have any information or if you know something, call Amarillo Crime Stoppers at 806-374-4400. 

More From KISS FM 96.9