“Since 2006, there has been a 57 percent reduction in crime in the city of Tampa. And what that translates to is tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of less victims. That's our friends and our family and our neighbors who were not victims of crimes because of this, what I would submit to you was one of the most drastic reductions of crime in any big city in America," said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
Police Chief Eric Ward said the city's overall crime rate went down some 24 percent over the last six years, including last year, when it went down by 8.9 percent. He said the focus was on violent crime, which went down 16.5 percent, but property crime also declined some eight percent. He noted that some of the "challenging" areas in the area north of Hillsborough Avenue had reduction in incidences of violent and property crimes, including Sulphur Springs, where violent crime was down six percent in 2016. Stunningly, Robles Park, a low-income area northwest of Ybor City, saw a 24.6 percent drop in violent crimes.
"That's huge," he said.
While the news was mostly positive, there were a few places where there was a slight uptick in crime rates. In SoHo, property crimes went up by six percent, which Ward attributed to an influx of people and activity to the area. And in Sulphur Springs, despite a drop in violence, property crimes went up by a percentage.
Violent crime went up by one percent in West Tampa, meanwhile.
In Ybor, despite its reputation for rowdiness, the rates of both types of crimes went down significantly. Property crime went down by 44 percent, and violent crime was down 14.6 percent.
There wasn't, per se, a single initiative that caused the drop in the rate, officials said, but a changing culture and more collaboration between police and the community. Ward said fostering a climate of trust among business owners and other residents was a probable reason for the good news.
“That's a direct reflection of our community getting involved—people picking up the phone, making those phone calls, or getting on social media sites and giving us those tips that help us solve these crimes," he said.
Another contributing factor may be that people are changing their behavior when it comes to safety, such as locking their homes and cars.
Femi Kennedy, who manages the Jackson Heights apartment complex, a facility that offers Section 8 housing, said the difference that it's made over the years is striking.
“We've gone from a very crime-invested, violence-fueled community to one where kids are outside playing, it's a joyous occasion, the playground is full, and people think that they can sleep better at night. Simple things like that go a very, very long way,” he said.
This article appears in Mar 9-16, 2017.