Crime in St. Charles Parish hit an 18-year low in 2014 due to huge drops in the number of reported robberies, assaults, burglaries and thefts.
The number of crimes decreased by 19 percent in 2014 when compared to 2013, and fell by 32 percent when compared to 2012.
“As far as the overall drop in crime, the credit, first and foremost, goes to the hardworking deputies and detectives of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Greg Champagne said. “As the experience level of both our command staff and deputies have increased, the crime level, conversely, has gone down.”
Champagne also attributed the drop in crime to the high visibility of parish patrols, improvements in technology and an aggressive approach to promptly executing court ordered attachments for criminal defendants that keeps those chronic offenders “off balance.”
“Our deputies and detectives are playing offense instead of defense in our crime-fighting efforts,” Champagne said.
Almost every major crime stat fell in the parish in 2014 when compared to the previous year. There were 11 less robberies, 140 fewer assaults and 92 less burglaries.
Thefts also fell by 211, while there was one fewer murder in 2014 when compared to the previous year.
The number of reported rapes did double from five to 10, while there were 30 more auto thefts in 2014 than there were in 2013.
Champagne said that parish residents are now providing useful information about criminal activity via social media.
“The people of St. Charles Parish are fully invested in assisting us in preventing and solving crime and it is truly a partnership,” he said. “Technology, including the more widespread use of private video surveillance, also plays an important role in both the deterrence of crime and the apprehension of those who commit crime.”
Repeat offenders, he added, are also receiving the prison time they deserve thanks to the St. Charles Parish District Attorney’s Office.
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