Overall crime is down, homicides are up in St. Pete

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway provided city council members with mostly good news during a recent quarterly crime update.

Criminal offenses decreased by 4.8% in the third quarter, or July 1 through Sept. 30. Holloway said crime is down by 7.1% over the past five years.

However, homicides have increased by 30% year over year, from 10 to 13. Holloway noted that suspects used knives in the two most recent murders. His storm-delayed presentation did not include statistics from October and the first week of November.

St. Petersburg is on pace to see more homicides than in 2022 (16) and 2020 (15). In 2021, the city recorded 33 murders as it emerged from the pandemic.

“I can tell you right now, our detective division is doing an outstanding job,” Holloway said at the Nov. 7 meeting. “They have closed out every homicide case, as of this quarter, with an arrest.”

He also credited the Gun Response Investigation Team’s (G.R.I.T.) efforts. The group established 61 new leads in the quarter, compared to 12 in 2023.

Holloway said the team attempts to uncover evidence that helps prevent additional gang-related offenses. “It has reduced some of our violent crime.”

Criminals stole 52 guns from July through September, with 25 coming from often unlocked vehicles. They took the remaining 27 from buildings. “On a positive note, for this quarter, we had 47 guns turned into us,” Holloway said.

He added that officers recovered 21 firearms. “So, that’s a total of 68 guns we took off the street,” Holloway said.

Gun theft has been a persistent problem in St. Pete. Councilmember Richie Floyd noted that those numbers have seemingly decreased.

Holloway said the 52-gun total was “still too many.” However, he agreed that the recent statistics highlight a downward trend.

“There were 25 guns taken out of cars this past quarter,” Hollow elaborated. “Remember, we used to be up in the 50s. We just have to keep telling the message – please remember to take your guns out of your car.”

In the third quarter of 2023, St. Petersburg recorded 65 robberies, 278 burglaries, 427 thefts from motor vehicles and 267 stolen automobiles. Those numbers decreased substantially to 46, 234, 402 and 174, respectively, in 2024.

Councilmember Gina Driscoll noted the homeless population downtown has seemingly increased.

Holloway said the city must modify its 2^nd Chance Program due to storm impacts. The juvenile diversion initiative provides an alternative to court and allows participants to exchange an arrest record for an eight-hour workday.

All 13 eligible juvenile offenders enrolled in and completed the program in 2023. “What we’re seeing is, our kids are starting to fall behind,” Holloway said.

He explained that the city’s Parks and Recreation department would typically have participants in the program within a week of committing a crime. Holloway commended Mike Jefferis, community enrichment administrator, and his team for a “great job” implementing the initiative.

“But with everything going on, you see where nine kids have not been able to go to this program, and they’re waiting in a queue,” Holloway said. “So, we’ve done a workaround now …”

The department’s Community Assistance and Life Liaison (CALL) program, conducted in partnership with Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, will temporarily oversee the 2^nd Chance initiative.

Holloway stressed the importance of reaching those youth before relatively minor issues become a “major problem.” The CALL team provides a compassionate civilian response to behavioral health-related 911 calls without accompanying officers.

They made another 902 community contacts in the third quarter and did not report any injuries or violent incidents. “We’re having professionals help people out with their problem – and not having a badge or a gun at that scene,” Holloway said.

The department’s Police Assisting the Homeless (PATH) unit made 585 contacts and 421 referrals to local nonprofits. Despite the substantial year-over-year increase, Councilmember Gina Driscoll said she regularly receives complaints regarding homeless people sleeping in city parks and along the downtown waterfront.

“We’re seeing large amounts of personal items,” she added. “It seems like it gets better, and then it gets worse again.

“These are folks who need to be helped – or issues that need to be addressed.”

She noted that the problem seems more prevalent at night. Driscoll credited the PATH and CALL programs but questioned why officers are not “seeing what I’m seeing out there.”

She offered to meet with Holloway privately to discuss the issue and “whatever you need to help your team do better.” Municipalities can now face lawsuits for allowing people to sleep in public.