Where's the evidence that Lake Worth has less Crime?

Today my Letter to the Editor appeared in the Post. Below is the uncondensed version of it. I have had several people say that the tremendous cost of having the Sheriff should be no object--our safety should come first. Thank God these people do not run this City...it's bad enough.

Money should ALWAYS be a big concern and it is definitely a knee-jerk reaction to the horrible crime, blight and slums we have in this City that attracts the most violent of criminals. We know, unequivocally, that our Police department was mis-managed and now we will be paying dearly just to even keep up with the rising levels of crime.

The Article--

Has crime really “dropped” as the Post and Shanon Materio claim? (See Letter to the Editor of 9-17-09).

The Sheriff's Department incorporated longer shifts and more presence on the streets under the leadership of Cpt. Silva with the exact same number of officers we had before the merger, 91. The Sheriff has developed good public relations with the neighborhoods. His deputies are more engaged and give reports to the Neighborhood Association Presidents. According to the Sheriff, rape and aggravated assault are the only crimes that increased in Lake Worth since the Sheriff took over. We have never had a comparison of crime statistics for 2008 versus 2009 from the Sheriff after they took over but we continue to read about horrendous crimes including murder in our City.

One thing that we do know, it is costing the taxpayers of Lake Worth a lot of money to have the Sheriff. This year we have budgeted around $15 million and this does not include overtime or special services. Salaries, retirement and benefits continue to escalate while we lost 24% in taxable value. This should be a concern to Lake Worth and all city commissioners, not just Commissioner Jennings. This has nothing to do with politics. We have to have the ability to pay.

Are we really safer or is it an illusion because response time is faster and the presence of sheriff’s vehicles are more prevalent? We are only safer than 2% of cities across the country. Chances of becoming a victim of crime in Lake Worth is 1 out of 70. The property crime rate is 1 in 12. Source: neighborhoodscout.com. That is not too assuring. Crime continues in Lake Worth and it is not going down in spite of what some believe.

The Sheriff's P&R has been effective but facts are facts and Lake Worth has more than its share of violent crime and property invasions.