The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department has released its year end report for crime, and, while there is some good news, two disturbing trends are a rise in violent crime and a big jump in robbery.
The report covers unincorporated Guilford County and the towns patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department. The statistics are included in a year-end report for 2020 from the Sheriff’s Department.
The report stated that there was a 19 percent increase in violent crimes. The year of 2020 was a highly unusual one, due to the response to the coronavirus pandemic which resulted in numerous lockdowns and stay at home orders. Mental health officials across the country have said that those conditions lead to more people being on the emotional edge which can result in violence.
With everyone at home much of the time in 2020, property crimes were down. There was a decrease of about 9 percent in property crimes which include burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson.
However, with the economy in bad shape and many people out of work, many more people were robbed. There was a 50 percent increase in robberies in the unincorporated county and the small towns that don’t have their own police departments and depend on the Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement.
Of particular concern in 2020, homicides increased 67 percent. It’s no secret that this is a major problem in the counties two largest cities as well. Greensboro set an all time record for homicides in 2020 with 61.
Aggravated Assaults were up 15 percent last year, while rape was down by 11 percent.,
Drugs are proving to be popular during a pandemic. Drug-related arrests rose by 26 percent.
Weapons arrests were up too, 57 percent.
According to the report, in 2020, the Sheriff’s Department’s average response time was 12 minutes and 35 seconds.
Oh hey, I have an idea. Let’s defund the police! Not all the way mind you, after all our mayor and council persons etc. need lookin’ after, but enough so that few victims bother reporting crimes. An unreported crime = no crime at all to the media and those who naively believe them. Many in media reside in safely gated communities complete with security guards, lights and cameras on every corner of their abode. Oh, and I know first hand they have weapons and I don’t mean wasp spray. They don’t need no stinking cops. Also; I see nothing mentioned of vandalism. If someone purposefully breaks my windows, smashes my car with a bat, or paints a dirty word in my driveway should I not report it? Is that in the “not a crime” column? Nothing stolen, no one hurt, nothing to see here. Let it go?
Of course violent crime has spiked. It has happened all over the country. Why?
The arteries of power – the media, the politicians, the educators, the judiciary – all tacitly supported the mayhem and destruction perpetrated by the far left movements which burned businesses and occupied city blocks and even police headquarters.
So of course this will embolden the criminal element! They see their fellow scumbags – like the career criminal George Floyd – celebrated and lionized. They perceive themselves as heroes, fighting “the man” by murdering him, or his wife, or breaking into his house, or carjacking his Suburban.
And now they have a black Sheriff!
It’s pedal to the metal.
What does the color of a sheriff matter? The Sheriff has taken an oath to protect and serve ALL citizens. If a Sheriff fails to do their job, the procedure will provide the sheriff shall be removed from office. We have seen that happen in the past in Guilford county. The badge should never see color. If it does, same should be removed from position and jailed.
Glenn I’m not sure what planet you’re from but a sheriff is human and no different than the rest of us they can and do see color the badge will never prevent that
People can’t work, so they are staying at home in poverty, but spending lots of money on illegal drugs. Yeah, that makes sense.
Response time of 12 minutes, that’s pretty good. Still to late but to arrive at a crime scene. A police officer will tell you that your first line of defense is yourself. Unless you are Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnel, or Brad Pitt who can afford armed guards at home; it is up to use to take care of #1.