HomeMy Public PortalAboutLTC 070-2017 Bal Harbour Police Department - 2016 Annual Uniform Crime ReportBAL HARBOUR
- VILLAGE -
OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE MANAGER LETTER TO COUNCIL
NO. 070-201 7
To: Mayor Gabriel Groisman and Members of the Village Council
From: Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager
Date: April 13, 2017
Subject: Bal Harbour Police Department - 2016 Annual Uniform Crime Report
The purpose of this Letter to the Council (LTC) is to transmit to you the results of the
Uniform Crime Report (UCR) statistics for Part I Crimes as indexed annually for the Bal
Harbour Village in calendar year 2016 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
(FDLE). Part I Crimes include the following violent crimes: Homicide, Rape, Robbery,
Aggravated Assault; and the following property crimes: Burglary, Larceny, and Motor
Vehicle Theft. Part I crimes did not increase from 2015 and held at a total of 95 reported
crimes for 2016 and reflect a decrease from 2014.
To get a sense of crime trends for the Village, the chart below depicts the Part I UCR for
the three most recent calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016:
Type of Crime:
2014
2015
2016
Difference
from 2014
Total Violent Crime
2
1
2
No Change
Total Property Crimes
106
94
93
13 decrease
Total Part I UCR Crimes
108
95
95
13 decrease
Violent Crimes in 2016 have increased by one case of Aggravated Assault from 2015 and
remain at the same levels from 2014. The two incidents from 2016 were a result of acts of
domestic violence where the subjects and victims were known to each other and led to the
arrest of each of the respective perpetrators.
Property Crimes in 2016 have decreased by one crime compared to 2015 and have
decreased by 13 crimes from 2014. This decline in overall property crimes could be a
result of the Bal Harbour Police Department's proactive law enforcement efforts and
effective deployment of personnel and resources. This proactive law enforcement and
crime prevention practice involves high visibility and increased contacts with the public.
LTC 070-2017: Bal Harbour Police Department – 2016 Annual Uniform Crime Report
Page 2 of 3
Officers are encouraged to conduct traffic stops for traffic violators and suspicious
vehicle/drivers engaging in field interviews.
It should be noted that as a result of these self-initiated interventions and other
contributing factors, total arrests in the Village increased from 85 arrests in 2015 to 114
arrests in 2016. The chart below depicts the total arrests made for the three most recent
calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016:
2014 2015 2016 Difference from 2014
Arrests Totals 82 85 114 39% increase in arrests
Another indicator of productivity and effectiveness of the BHPD, is the closure rate for
crimes. The closure rate is the status of reported crimes and its final disposition. If a crime
is solved, it is considered a clearance, usually by an arrest, unfounded, or by exceptional
clearance. A clearance by exception is when an arrest cannot be claimed due to some
reason beyond the control of law enforcement. Exceptional clearances include but not
limited to the following reasons: the death of the perpetrator, prosecution or extradition is
declined, or the suspect was identified, however there was insufficient evidence to support
prosecution.
During 2016, 43.2% of Part I UCR crimes were cleared by either arrest or e xceptional
clearances. This is a 17.1% increase from 2015 where 36.8% of Part I crimes were cleared.
This clearance rate is well above national standards. The chart below summarizes the
clearance rates of Part I UCR crimes for the three most recent calendar years 2014, 2015,
and 2016:
2014 2015 2016 Change from 2015 to 2016
25.9% 36.8% 43.2% 17.1% increase
Arrests and closure rates are two good indicators of police performance and effectiveness.
Increases in these indicators is positive (but does not necessarily mean there is an increase
in crime) and reflects the efforts of our command staff, supervisors and officers.
A useful workload measure tracked by police agencies is the value of stolen property
compared to the value of recovered stolen property. During 2016, $101,020 worth of
property was recovered as a result of persistent proactive interventions by police
personnel resulting in an increase in recovered value from 2015.
Community oriented policing instituted by the late Chief Mark Overton and continued by
Acting Chief De la Rosa and the police personnel is the driving force behind the success
of the BHPD. The highest priority of the BHPD is to protect and serve all residents, as well
as persons who work or visit the Village. As part of the community oriented policing, the
focus is on positive interactions with the public to include an emphasis on courtesy,
sensitivity and empathy.
LTC 070-2017: Bal Harbour Police Department – 2016 Annual Uniform Crime Report
Page 2 of 3
In addition, there is strong emphasis on quality supervision and training. In an effort to
better prepare for an effective response to emergencies and enhanced coordination with
adjoining police agencies, the BHPD facilitated Critical Incident Management training for
all supervisors. This training included supervisors from Surfside, Bay Harbour Islands and
Key Biscayne Police Departments and consisted of table top exercises using fact based
scenarios under stressful simulated conditions.
The BHPD will continue to proactively fight crime, instituting crime prevention strategies
while utilizing all available resources. Continued emphasis will be placed on community
policing, public safety, timely crime analysis information and effective deployment of
personnel resources.
Part I UCR crimes statistics are reported every six months so the next available semi-annual
report will be for the time period between January 1 through June 30, 2017 and the FDLE
will release this semi-annual report in August 2017.
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to let me
know.
JMG/MdlR