Crime Up - Arrests In Glades And Hendry Falling Behind

LABELLE, FLORIDA (July 11, 2006) -- While the Hendry and Glades
county population has stayed relatively steady, crime rate increases
have risen to double digits, but arrests have not kept up to meet the
increases in crimes.

According to the latest Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime
Reports released today, Hendry and Glades county crime rates have
risen since 2004 but arrests have not kept pace. In Hendry county,
there were 3,137 arrests made in 2005, an increase of 1.9% over 2004
arrests, while the crime index rate increased 15.2% from 2004 to
2005. The increase in Hendry arrests didn't even cover the increase
in population in Hendry which was 2.6% in 2005 compared to 2004, an
increase of 37,394 people in 2004 to 38,376 in 2005.

In Glades county, the population stayed the same in both years, but
the crime index rate increased 13.5% while arrests only increased
0.4% in 2005 over arrests in 2004. There were 819 arrests in 2005 and
816 in 2004.