by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
When crime statistics for Jacksonville are examined, one thing that becomes clear is that Downtown is just about the safest place to be in the county when it comes to violent crime. That’s the good news.
Even better news was presented at Thursday’s Downtown Vision, Inc. operations meeting by Sgt. Rusty Bonafacio of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. The crime figures are in for calendar year 2009 and compared to 2008, major reductions were achieved in all but two categories.
While burglaries were up 6.5 percent last year and sexual battery was unchanged (10 cases in both years), murder was down 100 percent, with none in 2009 compared to two in 2008. Robbery was down 33 percent and aggravated assault was down 11 percent.
When it comes to property crimes other than burglary, grand theft was reduced by 18 percent in 2009 and vehicle theft showed the largest improvement, down 47 percent compared to 2008.
Bonafacio said overall, violent crime Downtown was down 38.5 percent last year and nonviolent crime was down 10.5 percent last year compared to the previous year.
He also said JSO is making progress toward reducing nuisance crimes, the most common type of infraction that occurs Downtown. A panhandling team employing undercover officers arrested 20 people in their latest sweep. Bonafacio said if convicted most panhandlers are sentenced to between 5-10 days in jail but some are incarcerated for as long as 30 days.
“It depends on their past criminal record and if they’ve been in front of the same judge before,” he explained.
Police are also working on reducing the number of “urban campers.” It’s illegal to sleep outside Downtown but lately it has become an issue on a few blocks of Julia Street.
Bonafacio said JSO is required to give the Sulzbacher Center’s “Hope Team” 48 hours notice before a camping area is torn down in order for the organization to make shelter available.
“We give the people a chance to go somewhere else but some of them don’t want to go,” he said.
DVI Executive Director Terry Lorince said discussions continue concerning establishing a center where transients could spend the day after they are discharged from shelters in the morning. She pointed out making such a facility available would be “the first step in controlling some of the issues in Downtown’s parks.”
Lorince also said anyone who lives or works Downtown and would like to report nuisance crime should e-mail the information to [email protected] or call Amy Harrell, director of district services at 634-0303, ext. 224.
Paul Crawford, deputy director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, delivered a report on the progress of the Laura Street improvement project. He said the contract for the job has been awarded to Southern Development Group, a firm with an excellent track record on City jobs.
Crawford said he expects the contractor will receive the Notice to Proceed next week and work to begin in earnest in about two weeks. Most of the construction activities will be scheduled for between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. so as not to interrupt traffic. Pedestrian detours will also be in place during some phases of the four-block project which is expected to take 12 months to complete.
Lorince said much progress has been made in terms of developing Downtown nightlife since the last operations meeting three months ago. With the addition of two new lounges, Dos Gatos on Forsyth Street and Lit on Ocean Street, there are now 11 bars and restaurants open between Burrito Gallery on East Adams Street and Club TSI on East Bay Street. She also said two leases have been signed for properties along the corridor for future venues, one of them for a new restaurant.
“The Entertainment District is getting there and becoming a bright spot for Downtown,” she said.
DVI’s next operational meeting is scheduled for April 15 at 9:30 a.m. in Room G4 in the Conference Center at the Main Library. Anyone who lives, works or has an interest in Downtown is invited to attend.
Downtown crime rates: 2009 trends
Overall
Source: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
356-2466