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Homicide Rate Plummets In Fort Myers

Ian Britton
/
Flickr / Creative Commons

The Fort Myers Police Department released numbers Wednesday that show a significant drop in crime for the first half of the year.

According to the new numbers, homicide is down 57 percent compared to last year.

That’s a big change.

Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker said it’s the result of new strategies.

He said his department has been focusing its efforts on about two dozen of the city’s most violent offenders, which he Baker said are involved in 95 percent or more of local violent crime.

“You know, we are on the right path, I think,” Baker said. “We are going in the rights direction. We have good strategies in place. We have good partnerships in place. But it’s not time to jump up and have a big party and celebration that violent crime is not going to occur.”

Baker said he has also been relying on community involvement, including help from local pastor, which he said is key to avoiding violent crime long term.

However, Baker explained most of the crime in Fort Myers actually involves burglary and theft. He said members of the community should be on the lookout for thieves and be mindful of valuable items.

Ashley Lopez is a reporter forWGCUNews. A native of Miami, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a journalism degree.