Crime & Safety

Crime on the Decline in Hillsborough County

For the fifth straight year, crime is down, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

News Report:

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced that, for the fifth straight year, deputies have reduced overall crime in 2011 compared to 2010 by 15.5 percent.

With a population in unincorporated Hillsborough County of 834,224 residents, the number of victims of violent crimes was also reduced from 3,136 in 2010 to 2,130 in the year 2011. That equals 2.5 victims of violent crime per 1,000 residents, down from 3.9 the year before, according to a press release from the sheriff's office. "This violent crime rate is the lowest violent crime rate since recording started in 1985.

And consider this: there are 1.5 deputies per 1,000 residents in Hillsborough County. That is lower than the national average for law enforcement agencies of 2.5 officers per capita. While Hillsborough County's population grows, the number of deputies on the street has not. That means the men and women of the sheriff's office are working harder and working smarter to reduce crime, according to sheriff's public information office, Larry McKinnon.

"We did it with dedication and commitment and the efforts of our community partners such as Neighborhood Watch, Business Watch, Crime Stoppers and Citizen Patrol," said McKinnon. "Your eyes and ears let us know about suspicious activity and persons.You reacted, and we acted.

But the sheriff's office also redefined how it battles crime, from being less reactive to being more proactive," said McKinnon.

"In 2009, we instituted Intelligence-Led Policing, a policing model focusing on the small percentage of those who commit crimes and developing tactical methods to monitor, catch and jail them. It is working," said McKinnon. "Our strategic Law enforcement Intelligence Nexus Center, or LINC, is the hub. Our detectives and crime analysts sift through criminal intelligence, and then relay information to supervisors who craft decisions based on the best use of resources and devise plans of action to keep our communities safe."


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