Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington releases 2015 crime statistics for the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office that show a slight decrease in crimes against people and a rise in property crimes, primarily due to vehicle burglaries.

There were at total of 966 major crimes in the parish in 2015, which comprises 398 person crimes and 558 property crimes. In 2014, there were 851 total major crimes, comprising 408 person crimes and 440 property crimes.

MAJOR CRIMES201320142015
PERSON CRIMES
HOMICIDE112
RAPE015
ROBBERY119
BATTERY308346348
ASSAULT635930
PERSON CRIMES TOTAL373408398
    
PROPERTY CRIMES
BURGLARY RESIDENCE303746
BURGLARY BUSINESS611
BURGLARY VEHICLE6560141
THEFT409329350
MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT131320
ARSON200
PROPERTY CRIMES TOTAL565440558
TOTAL CRIMES898851966

Major person crimes are defined as homicide, rape, robbery, battery and assault, while major property crimes are burglary, theft and arson.

“We are fortunate here in Bossier Parish to continue to have low overall crime numbers,” said Sheriff Whittington. “We did see a dramatic rise in one area, however, which happens to be one of the most preventable crimes - vehicle burglaries.”

Theft from unlocked vehicles went from 60 cases in 2014 to 141 in 2015. These are primarily crimes of opportunities in which thieves are roaming through neighborhoods, generally late at night, and stealing from unlocked vehicles. Bossier patrol deputies and detectives tirelessly investigated these cases, and they jailed eight young men in the latter part of the year who stole from about 70 cars during a rash of vehicle burglaries in the Haughton area.

Bossier Sheriff’s Office created a Public Service Announcement to address the high number of vehicle burglaries and how you can avoid becoming a victim - 60 second PSA:

“I encourage anyone who becomes the victim of a crime or knows of criminal activity anywhere in Bossier Parish to contact the Bossier Sheriff’s Office at (318) 965-2203 or Bossier Crime Stoppers at (318) 424-4100,” said Sheriff Whittington.

“Our entire department is dedicated to public safety with Courteous, Professional and Responsive service,” he said. “Bossier Parish is a great place to call home, and we are committed to keeping it that way.”

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