Crime Down in Temple Terrace

Temple Terrace saw a decrease in crime in 2011, helping make up a 27 percent drop in major crimes over the past three years.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s 2011 Uniform Crime Report released Monday, crime in Florida is at a 41-year low. Violent crimes, such as murder, forcible sex offenses, robbery and aggravated assaults, were down 3.7 percent statewide from 2010 to 2011.

Similarly, Temple Terrace’s 2011 overall crime index was the city’s lowest in more than a decade, said Chief Ken Albano in a city press release. Here’s the breakdown:

• 2011, down 14.7 percent
• 2010, down 4.7 percent
• 2009, down 7.6 percent

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According to Community Service Officer Tracy Mishler, Temple Terrace saw a decrease in most major crimes in 2011. However, there was an increase in auto theft:

• Robbery, down 50 percent
• Burglary, down 17.7 percent
• Larceny, down 10.7 percent
• Auto Theft, up 19.4 percent

Albano and Mishler said residents deserve much of the credit for the overall drop in crime.

“Our citizens are very supportive,” Albano said in the release. “They consistently call or flag us down to share information on suspicious persons and activities.”

Mishler said he was proud of the community.

“Our Crime Watches played a significant and vital role in these numbers,” he wrote in an email to the community. “Please continue to work hard and continue to get to know your neighbors, have crime watch meetings and report suspicious behavior and activity. Our goal is to … see further reductions of crime in 2012.”

Albano also attributed the drop in crime to proactive police work and intelligence-gathering activities, according to the release. During the last three years, he said, the department has used elements of intelligence-based policing, ComStat (computerized statistics) and community oriented policing to try to gain a competitive edge.

“We also have a great relationship with our state and local law-enforcement partners, which helps us increase our overall effectiveness by sharing intelligence information and coordinating investigative efforts,” he said in the release.