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Staff photo.
Vestavia Hills Police Department patrol units.
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Staff photo.
The Vestavia Hills Police Department at Vestavia Hills City Hall.
Crime in Vestavia Hills dropped 18% from 2023 to 2024, including notable reductions in vehicle thefts, fraud, vandalism and drug offenses, according to statistics shared by the Police Department.
There was a 62% decline in vehicle thefts — from 52 to 20 — and a 40% drop in vandalism cases — from 55 to 33. Fraud cases fell 30%, from 148 in 2023 to 105 in 2024, while drug offenses decreased by 13%, from 722 cases to 629, Police Department records show.
Assaults rose 20%, increasing from 112 in 2023 to 134 in 2024. However, Chief Shane Ware said Vestavia Hills continues to have a very low incidence of violent crime, particularly for a city of nearly 40,000 people.
The city recorded no homicides in five of the last six years, with the exception of three homicides in 2022. In 2024, Vestavia Hills had only one robbery, seven sexual offenses, three kidnappings and one case of arson, according to police records.
Mayor Ashley Curry, who spent 25 years as an FBI special agent, noted that Vestavia Hills remains one of the safest cities in Alabama with a population over 25,000. Ware added that the city’s actual population is significantly higher.
“We’re pushing 40,000,” Ware said.
Staff photo.
The Vestavia Hills Police Department at Vestavia Hills City Hall.
The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates from summer 2023 ranked Vestavia Hills as the 14th largest city in Alabama.
Ware attributed the city’s low crime rate to multiple factors, including the Police Department’s “fair and visible style of policing,” strong community relationships, effective investigative techniques and “a little bit of luck.”
His predecessor, former Chief Dan Rary, emphasized simple policing strategies that focus on visibility. Officers actively engage in community policing and are encouraged to be present and proactive, Ware said.
“We have a job to do, and we have to do it, as long as we are enforcing the law and treating people equitably and fairly,” he said.
Community involvement also plays a significant role, Ware said.
“The members of our community are comfortable communicating with us and engaging with us and letting us know if something unusual or not right is going on in their neighborhoods,” he said. “That’s a critical component of our success.”
Ware also credited the department’s skilled detectives, who maintain a case clearance rate in the high 90% range. Their work is strengthened by partnerships with various federal and local task forces. The city has detectives assigned full-time to agencies such as the U.S. Marshals Service’s Gulf States Regional Fugitive Task Force, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Additionally, the Vestavia Hills City Council has provided the department with advanced investigative tools, including Flock cameras that track license plates and police-operated drones, Ware said.
Recently, a Flock camera identified the license plate of a suspect wanted for murder in another jurisdiction. Police then used one of their six drones to locate the vehicle hidden in a parking lot and safely arrest the suspect, he said.
With Vestavia Hills maintaining a low violent crime rate, one category Ware continues to monitor closely is burglaries, which have declined significantly over the years.
“In my early years on the force, 20 or so years ago, the city was experiencing 80 to 90 burglaries a year,” Ware said.
By 2019, that number had dropped to 52, and in 2023, there were only 17 burglaries. That number rose slightly to 24 in 2024, but Ware said the increase is not a major concern.
“I’m very satisfied with those numbers,” he said.
Ware attributed the long-term reduction in burglaries to increased use of home security systems and doorbell cameras, which have also contributed to the decline in vandalism cases.
While the 62% drop in vehicle thefts is encouraging, Ware noted that 2023 saw a temporary spike in cases due in part to thefts from the U-Haul maintenance center in Vestavia Hills, which serves as a Southeastern hub for the company. Some of those cases involved individuals failing to return rented vehicles, he said.
The 30% drop in fraud cases is due in part to increased public education and targeted discussions with at-risk groups, particularly senior citizens, Ware said. Both the mayor and detectives have held community meetings focused on raising awareness about common scams.
Drug offenses were at their lowest level in at least six years. Most cases involve marijuana possession for personal use and prescription drug abuse, though Ware said police continue to encounter fentanyl and opiates in the city.
Ware said the Police Department is looking to further enhance its investigative capabilities this year by contracting with an outside investigative analysis service. This service will free up detectives to focus on serious cases while the outside analyst conducts intelligence gathering and provides leads.
“It will be a tremendous benefit to us to be able to keep our detectives in the field,” Ware said.
While he is proud of the city’s police force and low crime rate, Ware emphasized that the statistics represent more than just numbers.
“Every one of them represents a human victim, and we have to be cognizant of that and doing everything we possibly can to serve them after the fact,” he said.
