Haines City Police Report Record-Breaking Drop In Crime

HAINES CITY, FL — The Haines City Police Department is reporting a record-breaking drop in crime during 2019.

"In 2019, the Haines City Police Department had the lowest crime rate for as far back as records could be found, and likely ever," the agency reported Tuesday.

Haines City Police Chief Jim Elensky attributes the drop in crime to what he described as the agency's "intelligence-led" policing system.

"We have a lot of confidence in our intelligence-led model that actively identifies crime hot spots and allows us to implement suppression strategies," Elensky said. "Staying on top of technological advances in policing has allowed us to keep track of crime trends and strategically place our officers in the right locations."

Information available from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Uniform Crime Report or UCR, lists the city's 2029 crime rate as 2,107 crimes per 100,000 residents. The UCR reflects statistics for seven serious crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.

"Last March, Haines City was named one of the 20 safest cities in Florida, according to a study conducted by SafeWise," officials said.

The 2019 crime rate in Haines City was lower than 2016 figures, the previous lowest on record. The drop in those categories offsets an increase in violent crimes from 36 in 2019 to 45 in 2019. Property crimes have dropped by 31 percent since 2017.

"We believe this is the agency's best year ever as far as crime rate is concerned," Elensky said. "This is a testament to the brave men and women who come to work here every day. I'm very proud of our work here and very happy with these results."

The crime rate in 2019 fell by more than 9 percent as the city's population increased by more than 5 percent to more than 25,500 residents, according to the agency.

Total crime dropped by 4.6 percent in Haines City, agency officials said.

"To keep up with the rise in population, elected officials have budgeted to allow for additional officers," the agency said. The city has 59 sworn personnel up from 54 in September 2017.

"We thank the city commission for making the safety of our residents a priority," Elensky said. "Property crime rate was reduced by more than 11 percent in 2019. Total property crimes fell by nearly 7 percent. There were nearly 30 percent fewer burglaries in 2019."