Crime is 17 percent lower in St. Charles Parish compared to the same time last year.
A downward trend started in early 2014 and resulted in a record crime reduction for 2014,” Sheriff Greg Champagne said of the FBI Uniform Crime Statistics for the parish. “I am delighted that this downward trend continues.”
In the past three months, there were 396 crimes reported compared to 477 in the first 90 days of 2014.
The FBI tracks crime in seven categories, including murder, rape, robbery, assault, theft, burglary and auto theft.Champagne reported crime fell in five of these seven categories and remained level in two during January through March.
The largest drop was in burglaries, which fell nearly 40 percent with 40 burglaries reported as compared to 66 burglaries the year before.
Auto theft is down just over 27 percent and theft is down nearly 20 percent. Assault dropped slightly with four less acts reported, while the number of reported rapes (1) and robberies (4) stayed the same. There weren’t any murders reported in the first quarter of 2015.
However, New Sarpy resident Sidney K. Smith, 22, was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 28-year old Warren Sanders on April 24, which will count in the second quarter.
Champagne credited the downward crime trend with the continuing “diligent work” of his deputies and detectives, along with the District Attorney’s Office prosecuting career criminals and putting those in jail who belong there.
He also said it’s truly a combination of factors including long-term planning, citizens reporting crimes more quickly and social media playing a part in crime prevention, as well as more surveillance cameras.
“It’s truly a group effort and our office is on offense,” Champagne said. “We’re looking to put the bad guys back on their heels. And if they raise their heads we’re going to be there really quick to put them back down to make it safer for all those in our parish.”
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