Crime in Alachua County has increased by 10 percent in the first half of 2018 compared to last year, according to a semiannual report.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office saw a 7 percent increase in crime overall and 1,352 total arrests, according to data compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The county saw significant increases in larceny, burglary and aggravated assaults, the report said. Meanwhile, crime decreased in the state by 8 percent.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Brett Rhodenizer said the semiannual report is just a snapshot of the trends. The agency looks at data in the long term.
“It’s just a reporting period, you’ll see spikes and lulls in the data,” Rhodenizer said. “We don’t see anything alarming.”
Rhodenizer said the data doesn’t account for repeat offenders.
The Alachua Police Department had a 2.6 percent decrease in crime reported.
The Gainesville Police Department had a 12.5 percent increase in crime rates, with a total of 3,033 crimes. The agency saw large increases in larceny, burglary and aggravated assault, the report said.
Gainesville Police Lt. Steven Bradford said a rise in burglaries happen because of unlocked cars where criminals commonly steal spare change, guns and phones.
“Criminals take advantage of easy access,” Bradford said. “People have a false sense of security and think it’s not going to happen to them.”
Contact Alyssa Ramos at aramos@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @LysKRamos
