Police Rumor Control

Published on September 20, 2024

Hi, Pinecrest. It’s Chief Jason Cohen here. I wanted to address a few things I’ve seen recently on social media and clear up some rumors. Rumor: Crime is out of control. Fact: Crime has actually dropped in some categories by over 60% this year.

- Vehicle burglaries are down 20%
- Larceny down 27%
- Robbery down 50%
- Vehicle thefts are down by 63%

Rumor: Pinecrest Police officers are instructed to patrol certain areas of the Village more than other.
Fact: Pinecrest is divided into five patrol zones that cover the whole village, there are officers assigned to each zone

Rumor: Crime happens more in one part of Pinecrest than others.
Fact: When a crime happens, it doesn’t just happen in one area of the Village.

Rumor: The Pinecrest Police is short-staffed.
Fact: The Department has one police officer vacancy that will be filled by the end of the year.

Social media has made us more aware of what’s happening in our neighborhoods. Awareness is good. People should know what’s going on in their neighborhood. But awareness doesn’t mean more crime. We perceive this awareness of crime as an increase in crime and that is just not the case. If you want to get involved and start a crime watch group in your neighborhood, contact our Community Resource Team at 305.234.2100 or email police@pinecrest-fl.gov. For information about Neighborhood Watch Groups, please visit www.pinecrest-fl.gov/police. If we work together, we’ll keep crime low in the Village.