Crime & Safety
Gwinnett County Police Release Crime Statistics, Trends
2011 statistics have most crime down - only homicides were up from 2010 figures.
Gwinnett County has released its crime figures from last year, reporting that the county’s crime rate dropped in 2011 compared the previous year in nine major categories. In addition, the Gwinnett County Police Department reported that the average response time to emergencies in the first six months of 2011 dropped from almost seven minutes to less than five and a half.
In a press release, the following drop in crime was reported:
- 4 percent fewer arson incidents
- 20 percent fewer vehicle thefts
- 17 percent fewer rapes and
- 20 percent fewer cases of theft from a motor vehicle.
- There were also decreases in robberies, residential burglaries and aggravated battery. Aggravated assaults fell almost 9 percent while business burglaries were down about 4 percent.
- The total number of gang-related incidents fell almost 5 percent.
Homicides, however, were reported as being up from the previous year. There were a total of 24 homicides last year, up from 20 in 2010. Of the homicides, 10 were domestic-related, five were drug-related, five involved robbery, three were police-involved shootings and one was an unknown situation. Almost 88 percent of these homicides have been cleared, and investigators have strong leads in several of the still unsolved cases.
Find out what's happening in Loganville-Graysonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Of course I’m pleased to report these results, which are in line with trends we’ve seen since 2009,” Gwinnett Police Chief Charles Walters said in the press release. “We were fortunate to be able to hire and graduate 54 new officers nearly two years ago that brought our staff to the full authorized level about this time last year.”
Water said the department recently hired 28 new police recruits to fill vacant positions and the new Police Academy class started on Nov. 30.
Find out what's happening in Loganville-Graysonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
He pointed out that violent crimes in Gwinnett are down 21 percent in the past two years, compared with a 5 percent drop statewide. Property crime was down 6 percent compared to a statewide drop of just two-tenths of 1 percent.
Walters said he would not fill a total of 25 police positions that are currently vacant in order to cut $1.4 million out of the 2012 budget. He requested no new personnel, no new vehicles and will defer replacing 37 percent of the vehicles that would normally be replaced next year. The department cut another $12,000 in maintenance costs at its headquarters and precinct buildings.
2011 Statistics compared to 2010
Category Percent Decrease
Entering Vehicle 19.98%
Vehicle Theft 19.83%
Rape 17.47%
Robbery 12.45%
Aggravated Assault 8.68%
Burglary/Residential 6.94%
Aggravated Battery 4.17%
Burglary/Business 4.16%
Arson 4.00%
Trends 2009 – 2010
Crime Type Gwinnett Georgia U.S.
Violent crime down 20.8% down 5% down 5.5%
Property crime down 6.4% down 0.2% down 2.8%
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.