Crime Complaints Down In St. Landry Parish

Crime stats have been released for St. Landry Parish.

“Statistics are crucial in law enforcement because it shows us trends in crime and where to focus our enforcement efforts," says Guidroz. "This is something we have to pay attention to so we are able to be proactive in deterring crime and lowering the crime rate.”

St. Landry Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says complaint calls for crime, including disturbances, juvenile incidents, burglaries and thefts have been decreasing every year for the past four years. “In the past year, our deputies have responded to nearly 24,000 complaints within St. Landry Parish," says Guidroz. "Although that might seem like a lot, it’s actually the lowest number that we have seen in the past 4 years."

In 2009, Guidroz says there were 27,008 complaints filed. He says that decreased to 25,783 in 2010; 24,943 in 2011; and 23,908 in 2012.

"Economy has a major role to play in crime rate," says Guidroz. "When the economy is bad, we see a higher numbers in criminal activity."

Here's a deeper look into the numbers, from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012:

Disturbances             1,935
Thefts                            903
Residential Burglary     303
Juvenile Incidents         215
Interior Auto Thefts       126
Auto Thefts                     64
Burglary of Business      50

While most of the news was good, there was one bad spot that police hope to be able to better address during the new year. Sheriff Guidroz says they've seen an increase in residential burglaries. “We need to focus the public’s attention on how to prevent burglaries, how to recognize suspicious behavior, and how to report that suspicious behavior to the police," says Guidroz. "A partnership between alert residents and law enforcement is one of the most effective ways to combat the burglary problem.”

"Although we have solved many burglaries from last year, we are still working vigilantly on solving those that have not been solved," says Guidroz.