KimberPB
New member
Good news for tampa residents! I'm not going to say this is due to CCW or florida's more lax gun laws. Just wanted to point out that bloods not running the streets and crimes didn't go up either. Wonder if Chicago, New York City, or comparable cities in England and Australia can say the same thing?
Tampa's Crime Rate Down 12%, Police Chief Says
Link Removed
TAMPA - Police Chief Stephen Hogue stood on the wraparound porch of a Suwanee Heights house Wednesday night and delivered good news to a crowd gathered on the front lawn.
The city's crime rate dropped 12 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period in 2007, Hogue said.
Residents and members of the Suwanee Heights Neighborhood Crime Watch applauded the announcement. Hogue and about 15 officers visited 5501 N. Seminole Ave. about 7 p.m. for roll call, a briefing all officers receive at the start of their shifts.
The intimate setting is part of a new community-policing initiative to connect police and residents more directly, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
"It's a good bridge between the neighborhood and the police force," Eric Krause, 34, the owner of the house, said. "We appreciate everything they do."
Another roll call on Thursday will be held in a yard in another pocket of District 2, which covers Sulphur Springs, Seminole Heights and New Tampa.
"We've been talking about community-oriented policing, so we're taking it to the next level," McElroy said. "We're moving around in different neighborhoods … so we can truly partner with those citizens."
During the first six months of this year, 9,126 offenses were reported in seven crime categories — 12 percent less than the 10,367 reported in these categories from January to June 2007.
The biggest statistical drop was in reported sex offenses, which declined 28.6 percent.
Murders declined 15.8 percent, motor-vehicle thefts fell 19.3 percent and aggravated assaults declined 18.6 percent, robberies dropped 16.1 percent, larcenies fell 11.1 percent and burglaries declined 5.1 percent.
Hogue credited the drop in crime not only to his officers, but to citizens who join neighborhood crime watch groups or perform independent "community policing" when they notice suspicious activity.
"We're successful when we interact with the public," Hogue said. "Neighbors know their neighborhood better than we do."
Tampa's Crime Rate Down 12%, Police Chief Says
Link Removed
TAMPA - Police Chief Stephen Hogue stood on the wraparound porch of a Suwanee Heights house Wednesday night and delivered good news to a crowd gathered on the front lawn.
The city's crime rate dropped 12 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period in 2007, Hogue said.
Residents and members of the Suwanee Heights Neighborhood Crime Watch applauded the announcement. Hogue and about 15 officers visited 5501 N. Seminole Ave. about 7 p.m. for roll call, a briefing all officers receive at the start of their shifts.
The intimate setting is part of a new community-policing initiative to connect police and residents more directly, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
"It's a good bridge between the neighborhood and the police force," Eric Krause, 34, the owner of the house, said. "We appreciate everything they do."
Another roll call on Thursday will be held in a yard in another pocket of District 2, which covers Sulphur Springs, Seminole Heights and New Tampa.
"We've been talking about community-oriented policing, so we're taking it to the next level," McElroy said. "We're moving around in different neighborhoods … so we can truly partner with those citizens."
During the first six months of this year, 9,126 offenses were reported in seven crime categories — 12 percent less than the 10,367 reported in these categories from January to June 2007.
The biggest statistical drop was in reported sex offenses, which declined 28.6 percent.
Murders declined 15.8 percent, motor-vehicle thefts fell 19.3 percent and aggravated assaults declined 18.6 percent, robberies dropped 16.1 percent, larcenies fell 11.1 percent and burglaries declined 5.1 percent.
Hogue credited the drop in crime not only to his officers, but to citizens who join neighborhood crime watch groups or perform independent "community policing" when they notice suspicious activity.
"We're successful when we interact with the public," Hogue said. "Neighbors know their neighborhood better than we do."