Crime in Jacksonville, Florida (Miami, Orlando: lease, employment, company)

[Mandy D]

I have lived in Jax and never had a problem, you have to be aware of your surroundings and don't live in bad areas and don't go out alone late at night, anywhere you live can be dangerous, Jacksonville is just so big it seems like a lot of crime, most people who are victim to crime are in the wrong place! Or not aware of what is around them.

[the9thwonder]

The graphs on the previous page pretty much conclude that Jax has a higher murder rate than most of the others, except Miami really. It is based on per capita. The numbers are right there on the graph. But let's not tit for tat and argue.

[compelled to reply]

Also, you must look at a county by county basis. Jacksonville consumes Duval County. Miami doesn't consume Dade, Orlando doesn't consume Orange, Fort Lauderdale doesn't consume Broward etc. This is a great way to stuff up statistics for a city proper is to keep on incorporating and spreading out, but as a county, sorry, you can see the data, Duval is second only to Orange for overall crime, second only to Dade for murder, and higher than Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Broward (naming all counties over 1 mil). I personally feel Duval is probably safer than other FL counties but stats show otherwise.

[the9thwonder]

"I personally feel Duval is probably safer than other FL counties but stats show otherwise."


Exactly my point, thanks FTL. I feel like Jax is safer than Miami and Orlando, in fact, it HAS to be safer than Miami. But, the stats show that other than Miami, Jax has the most murders per capita in the state.

I live in Orlando. I think Orlando is worse than Jax, and I think Miami is the worst.

[compelled to reply]

Then there is also the discussion of how bad it gets within that big picture. For example Palm Beach County crime overall is second lowest overall for the states large counties but it's most violent blocks in Riviera Beach and WPB are among the most violent in the country, and certainly the state. Sections of Broward/FTL are just as bad as sections of Dade or Orange, but they make up a very small amount of the area and the county is home to some of the safest areas in the state and also the nation, and this creates a (comparatively) low overall statistic compared to say, Duval. And as far as Duval, the crime is also very clustered. You stay out of the Northside and your cool. In places like Orlando and Miami the crime is evenly dispersed all over the place, and this simply isn't the case in Jville, although it's worst blocks are just as bad as the worst anywhere.

Point being, Jacksonville has crime. But stay out of da hood and you probably aren't going to have to worry about anything beyond typical break-ins, etc like you would anywhere else.

[kenzo50fl]

What part of Jax did you live in Christian11? I've lived in Mandarin all my life, out on Baymeadows for 3 years after that, recently moved out to Arlington by the marina and have yet to encounter any crime in those areas. I'm originally from NY so I have to admit there were too many rednecks and "ghetto folk" then I was used to, but Jax has changed in the 15 years I've been here. I will admit NW Jax is not too appealing but there are some nice areas.

[HIF]

Another piece of the puzzle is that many citizens no longer bother reporting crime. Not just in the more dangerous areas, but county-wide. I am waiting to see a story on calls held or those not sent by JSO dispatch. In a recent public meeting with the sheriff, some residents said that they have given up on calling JSO and are, instead, patrolling their own neighborhoods.

As for the excalating rate of violence, the sheriff has alternately placed blame on youth, parents and the media for the crime problem in Jacksonville. I was told by a JSO officer that they can't stop crime, that they are "responders". That shows another disconnect between what JSO believes their role to be verses how law enforcement in other cities operate.

The sheriff has paid lip service to community policing, something that has had dramatic impact in stemming out of control violence throughout the nation. While everyone has a role to play in fighting crime, surely the sheriff's office should bear some of the responsibility.

[Alphaman]

Originally Posted by the9thwonder

The graphs on the previous page pretty much conclude that Jax has a higher murder rate than most of the others, except Miami really. It is based on per capita. The numbers are right there on the graph. But let's not tit for tat and argue.

Those stats are out dated orlando 22 murders? orlando had 49 last year so that would put it`s rate much higher and this year is almost as bad in O-town. O-Town was also 11 on this years cities with most violent crime Jax isn`t even close. I would say as far as cities go Jax is doing well for it`s size.

[TechSys]

Jax is not as bad as most people think. Just like any other place, if you look for trouble, it will find you.

[ComputerGuy]

The high crime areas in Jacksonville seem to mostly on the NW side, but don't let that fool you, I live in the Mandarin area, which most people consider a nice part of town (including myself). There was a murder in some apartments close by, and the CVS was robbed here, although I have to note that the CVS robbery also happened to other CVS stores around town, apparently by the same person.

Overall, Jacksonville is nice in my opinion, but crime has risen in recent years.