Sheriff: Crime down 6.2 percent in county

Crime in the unincorporated areas of Garland County declined 6.2 percent in 2016, marking the second year in a row crime has decreased, Garland County Sheriff Mike McCormick said Tuesday in a news release.

A comparison of 2015 and 2016 crime statistics from the Arkansas Crime Information Center shows the decline, McCormick said in the release. He noted there was a 12.7-percent decline reported in 2015.

“I can’t declare we have won the war on crime, but we have certain put a big dent in it Garland County,” McCormick said. “An almost 20-percent decline in crime during the last two years is the result of the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Garland County Sheriff’s Office.”

The crime decreases in the last two years were facilitated by the opening of the county’s new detention center in 2015, he said. The new facility was funded through a voter-approved sales tax that paid for its construction and operation.

“The rewards of having safer communities in Garland County was the direct result of the vision and commitment made by the leadership and the taxpayers of our county,” he said. “The new facility and the commitment of our law enforcement officers to fight crime has shown criminals that they cannot be a plague to our communities.”

ACIC is the independent state agency which tabulates crime statistics for all Arkansas law enforcement agencies. The information submitted by the Garland County Sheriff ’s Office does not include crimes in the city of Hot Springs, the release said.