Crime is down in the Pine Hills area.
There were nine homicides in Pine Hills during the first half of 2016. So far this year, there’s been only one. During the same time, robbery fell 20 percent, and violent crime went down 15 percent.
Captain Carlos Torres with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office says Operation RISE in Pine Hills is paying off with members of the community talking with police.
“There are helping us solve some of these cases, they are helping us put the pieces of the puzzle together so we can solve it. So we’ve seen now that when people were maybe afraid to get involved, they’re not anymore," Torres said. “It really, truly validates what we’re trying to do out there, which is improve the quality of life, reduce crime and reduce the fear of crime.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office started Operation Rise to combat crime in the area. That project began with more than 300 arrests in the area last December.
Residential and commercial burglaries are down 30 and 41 percent. Overall, crime is down about 17 percent.
Check here to listen to an interview with Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings about crime in the Pine Hills area.
