orange county/orlando murders (Pine Hills, Winter Springs: violent crime, elementary school, college)

[orlando'an]

of course there will be disputing. what city/county/state officials want this recognition?

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by rich renter

omg there was 2 murders in orlando and orange county in november, its so dangerous, most dangerous city in america

Orlando-Area Murder Map -- OrlandoSentinel.com

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for bringing this information to the public. I visit Orlando as a tourist occasionally, and was not aware all of this was taking place there. By putting this information forward, you make people think twice of their surroundings. I am visiting Davenport, Fl. How far is this from this area, and do you, or any of the readers can give me some input, as I am not familiar with the area. The information you have presented, Mr. rich renter, is greatly appreciated. Good-luck,

[amax41]

Originally Posted by rich renter

omg there was 2 murders in orlando and orange county in november, its so dangerous, most dangerous city in america

Orlando-Area Murder Map -- OrlandoSentinel.com

wow.... am I reading Sleeping Beauty, The Three Bears, or Rumplestilskin?

[ReSpEcT]

Orlando Crime: (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/11/index.html - broken link)

This forum post got me thinking from an outside point of view. I live in Miami, and never really thought of Orlando as being a dangerous place, so i did a little more research after reading these posts, and I certainly didn't know that the Orlando area did have so much of a crime issue. I found some news for the month of November where it was stated that there were only 2 murders in Orlando, and I couldn't believe how much more crimes were happening in the area after reading about there only being 2 murders, so Iam glad I found this report because i will be on the lookout and be cautious next time i take a little vacation up there. So thanks for filling me in because I knew Orlando would have some bad area, but after I read about some of the tourists having an AK-47 pulled on them or being robbed at Downtown Disney i will be more on alert while on my vacation.

Thank you all

[evidence]

Respect, Orlando's crime had gone up a lot since you were probably here last. I think Orlange Co. even surpassed Miami-Dade Co. in crime. I am not sure where those stats are at this moment, but I did read that.

The crime is also affecting tourism now too.

[Crane's Rooster]

As someone who actually worked in the criminal justice system here in Central Florida I will say this....YES crime is an issue in Orange County. YES there are some very rough neighborhoods. But take this into consideration. Orlando is not Fantasy Land. Contrary to popular belief Orlando is not a big town with a famous mouse anymore, it is a CITY and has the same problems as most other cities. Orange County has well over 1 million residents and is an urban county now. Like most urban cores that serve as the central employment, financial, government, and entertainment hubs for their regions, the needier will tend to gravitate towards those resources and bring with it the side effects of desperation and poverty.

As far as comparing Orlando to other historically dangerous American cities it's arguable but if you went to any of the long time residents of those cities (NYC, Detroit, Baltimore, Miami, D.C., Oakland) and told them Orlando was in the same category as them they would likely laugh in your face. Having lived in Boston, D.C. and Miami I will tell you that we are not nearly as dangerous as those places. However we are very similar in character on a smaller scale. Like many of these cities, there are equal amounts of undesirable areas and livable areas. And much like those cities these areas tend to be right next to each other. Boston and D.C. do not have clearly defined good areas and bad areas. It is more of a checkerboard effect where one or two blocks would be nice and the next few blocks would be a warzone. Orlando is not quite as extreme but very similar in that one community (Metro West) would be very nice but go a mile in either direction and you could be in some rougher areas (Pine Hills or the Trail/JYP).

Crime by the numbers is huge in Orlando but it is primarily concentrated in certain areas. And when I say that I mean concentrated, not limited to certain areas. As with anywhere else crime will always have a spill over effect. Due to the checkerboard effect, some of the fringes of the nicer areas bordering the rougher ones will experience higher rates of property crimes.

The vast majority of murders in Orange County take place in very concentrated areas of West Orange County and the strip. Yes there are murders that take place outside those enclaves but most of those murders are not random and make up a very small percent of the homicides in Orange County. The demographics speak for themselves. The majority of homicide victims in Orange County are young minority men who have had prior run-ins with the law. Out of the 100+ murders last year, there were very few engineers and doctors that were slain in drive by shootings by rival firms.

I don't mean to make light of the situation because having dealt with it first hand, it's a very serious issue. The point I'm making is that the average visitor or resident of Central Florida need not worry too much about being gunned down in the atrium of Millenia Mall. But everyone who visits and lives here needs to take the necessary precautions that you would do in any big city. Be aware of your surroundings, don't wander into areas your not familiar with and don't travel alone at night. I have never feared for my safety while enjoying a night out on the town with a group friends downtown or in the tourist corridor but I use my common sense.

Having worked in the criminal justice system I am not an optimist or pessimist about our crime issue in Central Florida......I am a realist. The reporters are not making up stories on the evening news but a mother in Wekiwa probably shouldn't fret about a high speed police chase rolling through her kids neighborhood playground. Is this true for every part of Central Florida? Of course not, but the majority of the suburbs here are safe and very nice places. The communities towards the center of the city are a little more dangerous but this is true of any major metropolitan area. It's the trade off for the convenience and vibrance of the city. It's a reality everywhere else and the reality has hit Orlando. The Magic Kingdom is few square acres, Central Florida is hundreds of square miles. Never the less, the City Beautiful is still Beautiful with all of it's flaws.

[Alphaman]

You summed that up very well.

[ReSpEcT]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

As someone who actually worked in the criminal justice system here in Central Florida I will say this....YES crime is an issue in Orange County. YES there are some very rough neighborhoods. But take this into consideration. Orlando is not Fantasy Land. Contrary to popular belief Orlando is not a big town with a famous mouse anymore, it is a CITY and has the same problems as most other cities. Orange County has well over 1 million residents and is an urban county now. Like most urban cores that serve as the central employment, financial, government, and entertainment hubs for their regions, the needier will tend to gravitate towards those resources and bring with it the side effects of desperation and poverty.

As far as comparing Orlando to other historically dangerous American cities it's arguable but if you went to any of the long time residents of those cities (NYC, Detroit, Baltimore, Miami, D.C., Oakland) and told them Orlando was in the same category as them they would likely laugh in your face. Having lived in Boston, D.C. and Miami I will tell you that we are not nearly as dangerous as those places. However we are very similar in character on a smaller scale. Like many of these cities, there are equal amounts of undesirable areas and livable areas. And much like those cities these areas tend to be right next to each other. Boston and D.C. do not have clearly defined good areas and bad areas. It is more of a checkerboard effect where one or two blocks would be nice and the next few blocks would be a warzone. Orlando is not quite as extreme but very similar in that one community (Metro West) would be very nice but go a mile in either direction and you could be in some rougher areas (Pine Hills or the Trail/JYP).

Crime by the numbers is huge in Orlando but it is primarily concentrated in certain areas. And when I say that I mean concentrated, not limited to certain areas. As with anywhere else crime will always have a spill over effect. Due to the checkerboard effect, some of the fringes of the nicer areas bordering the rougher ones will experience higher rates of property crimes.

The vast majority of murders in Orange County take place in very concentrated areas of West Orange County and the strip. Yes there are murders that take place outside those enclaves but most of those murders are not random and make up a very small percent of the homicides in Orange County. The demographics speak for themselves. The majority of homicide victims in Orange County are young minority men who have had prior run-ins with the law. Out of the 100+ murders last year, there were very few engineers and doctors that were slain in drive by shootings by rival firms.

I don't mean to make light of the situation because having dealt with it first hand, it's a very serious issue. The point I'm making is that the average visitor or resident of Central Florida need not worry too much about being gunned down in the atrium of Millenia Mall. But everyone who visits and lives here needs to take the necessary precautions that you would do in any big city. Be aware of your surroundings, don't wander into areas your not familiar with and don't travel alone at night. I have never feared for my safety while enjoying a night out on the town with a group friends downtown or in the tourist corridor but I use my common sense.

Having worked in the criminal justice system I am not an optimist or pessimist about our crime issue in Central Florida......I am a realist. The reporters are not making up stories on the evening news but a mother in Wekiwa probably shouldn't fret about a high speed police chase rolling through her kids neighborhood playground. Is this true for every part of Central Florida? Of course not, but the majority of the suburbs here are safe and very nice places. The communities towards the center of the city are a little more dangerous but this is true of any major metropolitan area. It's the trade off for the convenience and vibrance of the city. It's a reality everywhere else and the reality has hit Orlando. The Magic Kingdom is few square acres, Central Florida is hundreds of square miles. Never the less, the City Beautiful is still Beautiful with all of it's flaws.

That's a nice post that can be said about mostly all urban areas..It's about time that someone realized that Orlando is the same in the aspect of crime and being an urban area...Good post

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by ReSpEcT

Orlando Crime: (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/11/index.html - broken link)

This forum post got me thinking from an outside point of view. I live in Miami, and never really thought of Orlando as being a dangerous place, so i did a little more research after reading these posts, and I certainly didn't know that the Orlando area did have so much of a crime issue. I found some news for the month of November where it was stated that there were only 2 murders in Orlando, and I couldn't believe how much more crimes were happening in the area after reading about there only being 2 murders, so Iam glad I found this report because i will be on the lookout and be cautious next time i take a little vacation up there. So thanks for filling me in because I knew Orlando would have some bad area, but after I read about some of the tourists having an AK-47 pulled on them or being robbed at Downtown Disney i will be more on alert while on my vacation.

Thank you all

Orlando may be like New Jersey, in that they do not go out of their way to publish crime because it will scare tourists, and people moving into their cities. It is all about economics.

[RUBIES77]

You sound so knowledgeable about the area. How can I get to Davenport coming from I-95 S without going through I-4? Thanks,