FDLE: Overall Crime Up In Escambia, Santa Rosa

May 1, 2012

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement released their 2011 Annual Uniform Crime Report Monday, showing an increase in crime in both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

In Escambia County, the overall crime index was up 3.7 percent. Murders, forcible rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults were all down. Burglaries, larceny and motor vehicle theft were up. The overall crime rate jumped 7.9 percent while the percent of crimes cleared dropped by 2.5 percent.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, which provides law enforcement in North Escambia, had a crime index increase of 1 percent, while the Pensacola Police Department reported an 13.2 percent increase in the crime rate.  The overall crime rate increased 4.9 percent for the area served by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, while the crime rate jumped 18.5 percent in the Pensacola Police Department’s jurisdiction.  The Escambia Sheriff’s Office cleared 20.6 percent of crimes, while the Pensacola PD cleared 38.3 percent of crimes.

In Santa Rosa County, the total crime index was up 16.5 percent. Murders, forcible rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults decreased. Burglaries, larceny and motor vehicle theft were up. The overall rate increased 9.9 percent, while the percent of crimes cleared fell by 1.9 percent.

Pictured top: Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies look for a suspect following the December 2011 robbery of a store manager in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

21 Responses to “FDLE: Overall Crime Up In Escambia, Santa Rosa”

  1. northend voter on May 4th, 2012 1:01 pm

    I knew once I said something bad about the General, his family would come out and defend him. If Morgan quit now, Morgan would not be qualified to be a law enforcement anywhere in the state because he doesn’t have his police standards. And besides I can’t get in his chair because his Chief Deputy is the one is who is sitting in it and the one actually runs the Sheriffs Office. But I do think I could coordinate a trash clean up. Its about all he has done.

  2. Richard Tripper on May 4th, 2012 12:51 pm

    I agree with 429SCJ we need someone else in the “sheriff’s chair”.

  3. 429SCJ on May 4th, 2012 5:37 am

    North End Voter It sounds like its time you left the back seat and got behind the
    wheel.

    Have you ever thought of moving up to the Sheriff’s chair?

  4. northend voter on May 3rd, 2012 12:15 pm

    I have heard similar stories like Marsalls. It is a lack of leadership. It is not the deputies fault. If you have ever been around Morgan. It will not take you very long to figure out that he is one of the most arrogant people you have ever met. I respect his service in the military, but his military medals have no place on his deputy uniform. It is a tell tale sign of his arrogant personality. He is a very vindictive person. Look on the David Stafford website. There are hardly any (maybe 2) actively employed deputies that have contributed to the other sheriff candidates election campaign. The deputies dare not do it or they will be put on some midnight shift somewhere. The deputies are scared. The crime rate is going up because Morgan doesn’t know how to utilize his manpower. Again it is not the deputies fault.

  5. Marshall on May 3rd, 2012 8:51 am

    The part of the statistics that bother me is the “20.6%” of crimes actually cleared. That gives you a pretty good chance of getting away with a crime. After my girlfriend was burglarized, I found the issue with the ECSO…It’s LACK OF COMMUNICATION! After 20+ calls to Investigations and others, with NO RETURN CALLS, we met with Sheriff Morgan. We left feeling like we were bothering him by taking a few minutes of his time. He asked for the public to help, we helped, and still could not get a return call. That crime was solved and perp is in State Prison, but not due to the work of the ECSO!

  6. northend voter on May 2nd, 2012 5:46 pm

    FDLE is not the one lying!

  7. Richard Tripper on May 2nd, 2012 4:21 pm

    I’ve seen Sheriff Morgan’s campaign literature and heard him speak at both republican forums. He is telling the public that crime is down, which is it either FDLE is not telling the truth or Sheriff Morgan is not telling the truth.

  8. Patriot on May 2nd, 2012 4:13 pm

    Hoppy,
    They CAN chase for certain types of crimes. As I stated earlier, they cannot chase for burglary, larceny, or vehicle theft (the types of crimes that are on the rise).
    Is there a correlation there? You decide.

  9. Hoppy on May 2nd, 2012 3:24 pm

    If police officers are not allowed to give chase to a fleeing suspect in an automobile then why aren’t they driving compact cars instead of hemi powered hot rods? I’m just asking.

  10. northend voter on May 2nd, 2012 10:53 am

    We need a Sheriff, who is actually a law enforcement officer. But our Sheriff tries to tell every other government agency how to run their office. The Governors office, our County Commissioners, and don’t forget he tried to buck 3 Federal judges. Morgan should concentrate on local law enforcement. Maybe this would help. It is what he was elected to do.

  11. Jane on May 2nd, 2012 6:42 am

    This is all the more reason we need to join Neighborhood Watch groups to help by be the eyes and ears for LEO. If we can see someone doing a burglery and call it in they might have a better chance to catch more bad guys.

  12. 429SCJ on May 2nd, 2012 5:13 am

    Many years ago Florida had the Fleeing Felon Law. If a person committing a felony was
    told to halt by a LE officer and did not, they were shot.

    The law worked well until we stopped speaking english and some people could not
    comprehend.

    No matter who is sheriff, there will always be crime. That is why we have a sheriff.

  13. northend voter on May 1st, 2012 9:00 pm

    David Morgan, at Washington High was his usual cocky and arrogant self a few weeks ago bragging about the crime rate being down on his watch. We watch the news and stay on top of local issues, and there is always violent crime being reported. There is more to law enforcement than picking up trash in some neighborhoods. All that is, is a big political publicly relations stunt.

  14. sam on May 1st, 2012 8:20 pm

    get your concealed weapon permit and stand your ground. i’m armed at all times. criminals don’t know it cause most can’t spell computer much less get on line. they’re out feeding their habit.

  15. David Huie Green on May 1st, 2012 11:53 am

    there are crimes because people decide to commit crimes.

    some would never commit crimes no matter what.

    law enforcement can convince some to not commit crimes simply by being there and/or following up on criminal activity.

    some will commit crimes no matter what and have to be physically restrained.

    David among the wheat and the tares

  16. jeeperman on May 1st, 2012 10:11 am

    Escambia should be proud to have the third highest crime rate in the state.
    And also three times more per thousand people more crime than Santa Rosa County.
    And Escambia has 2.26 times more crime per thousand people than Baldwin County.

  17. lifeguard on May 1st, 2012 8:50 am

    If only there was a way to round up all the criminals and put them in cages to protect the good tax paying citizens of the country…………

  18. Guest on May 1st, 2012 8:42 am

    What patriot means is deputys cannot pursue a suspect fleeing in a vehicle for those crimes. So if your car is stolen or your home is burglarized and the deputy finds the suspect in a vehicle if he runs they have to turn around and drive the other way.

  19. Patriot down on May 1st, 2012 8:28 am

    Patriot,
    If you are speaking in terms that the deputies are not authorized to pursue the case, then maybe. Thats where the investigators come in.
    I know first hand from BOTH sides of the fence. Got in a spot of trouble with the law as a younger lad and I thankfully got nailed to the wall for it. Learned to pick my friends really carefully after that.
    I’ve also been on the victim side as well, and the people that did the crime ended up caught and arrested.

    If you are talking about a criminal stealing a car being practically untouchable during the commision of said crime, please explain how they (the deputies) are not authorized to pursue and therefore the risk of arest is low?
    Not quite sure what you mean there.

  20. JM on May 1st, 2012 4:12 am

    @Patriot Why do you say “all crimes that the deputies are not authorized to pursue”?

    Is that why when you call them they won’t write a report and act like your just
    confused?

  21. Patriot on May 1st, 2012 12:32 am

    Interestingly, the crimes that are up (burglary, larceny, vehicle theft) are all crimes that the deputies are not authorized to pursue, therefore the risk of arrest is low. If the criminal makes it to a car, they are practically untouchable.