CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office annual report show dips in some north district crimes, like assaults and domestic violence, and rises in others, such as thefts and fraud.
The sheriff’s Crestview office, which serves the 450-square-mile north district, received 1,629 more calls than in 2013. The average response time dropped nine seconds to six minutes, 47 seconds. It was seven minutes, 27 seconds in 2012, according to the report.
43,451 of the agency’s record-setting 219,842 calls were for the north district and were handled by its 27 patrol deputies. They made 4,107 traffic stops and responded to 371 crashes last year.
“Our calls for service are increasing, but violent crime is down,” Capt. Larry Ward, north district commander, said.
Increased law enforcement visibility led to decreases in some types of crime, Ward said. “We’re staying out in the community as much as possible, and that might be one of the reasons crime is down,” he said. “Our training for deputies is also increasing, and we’re more proactive.”
The sheriff’s office report follows a March Crestview Police Department report that also showed decreasing violent crime in 2014. But more patrols and community education can’t always combat one of the most violent crimes, Ward said. “Domestic violence is a big thing now,” he said.
More public education is needed, Ward said. But eliminating the problem is impossible — unless an officer is assigned to every bedroom, Crestview Police Chief Tony Taylor has said.
Still, the OCSO annual report states that 2014’s 91 domestic violence arrests were down from 2013’s 115 arrests. In addition, assaults dropped by five to 65 for 2014.
Though the north district is the OCSO's largest zone, it is also its most rural. Laurel Hill and Baker satellite stations facilitate resident contacts and deputies’ administrative duties, such as filing incident reports.
“The substations in Baker and Laurel Hill allow us to do a lot of work and interact with the public in those communities,” Ward said.
Not all local interaction involved crimes or traffic incidents, according to the report. OCSO employees and deputies provided more than 450 hours of volunteer services through individual and charitable North Okaloosa activities.
Command officers are regulars at Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce monthly meetings, where they interact with north county business, civic and education leaders, regularly attend Crestview and Laurel Hill City Council meetings, and train with other area public safety agencies.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa violent crime dips; theft, fraud show slight rise