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Help Police Fight Crime

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By LENORA LAKE, Tribune correspondent

Published: October 6, 2007

TAMPA PALMS - Tampa Police Chief Stephen Hogue asked members of the Rotary Club of New Tampa to help him fight crime.

'Lock your cars,' Hogue told the club members at a recent meeting at the Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club. 'That's what you can do to help.'

Hogue, a New Tampa resident, said there had been almost 120 car burglaries in New Tampa this year. In more than 80 of those cases, the cars had been unlocked.

Despite those statistics, the New Tampa area has the lowest rate of crime in the city, he said.

'New Tampa is very safe. It is the safest in the city,' he said at the club's Sept. 28 meeting.

The city of Tampa's overall crime rate is about 7,000 crimes a year per 100,000 residents; New Tampa has a rate of about 4,000 a year per 100,000 residents, he said.

New Tampa has had 20 aggravated assaults this year; 'Some areas have that many per week,' the chief said.

He said New Tampa is 'highly patrolled,' and he often hears that drivers in New Tampa are ticketed for traffic violations more than in other areas.

He said most traffic stops are on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Cross Creek Boulevard so they are very visible, and it appears that city police are targeting the New Tampa drivers.

The police department had issued about 8,000 tickets in New Tampa to date. Police usually issue about 125,000 tickets in a year, he said.

Hogue, who was appointed to his position in 2003 by Mayor Pam Iorio, said he expects a 10 percent drop in crime for the city in 2007.

That will come on top of a combined 36 percent drop in the past four years. However, there is more work to be done, Hogue said in his 30-minute presentation and question-and-answer period.

Four years ago, Tampa had the second-highest crime rate in the nation for cities of 250,000 to 450,000 residents.

If there is a 10 percent drop, 'We still won't be at the mean for cities our size,' Hogue said.

He said Tampa has three officers per 1,000 residents, and the national rate is 2.5 officers per 1,000 residents.

Club member Colin Beach, a New Tampa physician, said he had experienced crime recently with a mid-September break-in at his Tampa Palms office. He said he was pleased that the police, who were able to get a fingerprint at the site, have told him they have a suspect.

Former Tampa City Council member Shawn Harrison, a club member, praised Hogue's work.

'It's no secret that I had a few differences with the Iorio administration, but I think Steven Hogue is one of the finest appointments,' Harrison told his fellow members.
Hogue had his own praise to give, complimenting club members for their work in the community and their welcoming attitude.

'I'm not sure I have ever spoken anywhere that people are so happy and cheery,' he said.

Correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached at (813) 865-4851 or llake@tampatrib.com.

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