Overall, crime in St. Pete is down and the number of murders is rising. • St. Pete Catalyst

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway recently provided City Council members with mostly good news in a quarterly crime update.

The number of crimes fell by 4.8% in the third quarter, from July 1st to September 30th. Holloway said crime has fallen 7.1% in the last five years.

However, murders increased 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 track to record more homicides than in 2022 (16) and 2020 (15). In 2021, the city recorded 33 murders after the pandemic ended.

“I can tell you now that our detective division is doing an outstanding job,” Holloway said at the Nov. 7 meeting. “As of this quarter, they have closed every murder case with an arrest.”

He also appreciated the efforts of the Gun Response Investigation Team (GRIT). The group acquired 61 new leads in the quarter, compared to 12 in 2023.

Holloway said the team is trying to uncover evidence that will help prevent further gang-related crimes. “It has reduced some of our violent crime.”

Criminals stole 52 weapons from July to September, 25 of which came from often unlocked vehicles. They took the remaining 27 out of buildings. “On the positive side, we had 47 weapons received this quarter,” Holloway said.

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

Gun theft is an ongoing problem in St. Pete. Councilman Richie Floyd noted that those numbers appear to have declined.

Holloway said the total number of 52 weapons was “still too many.” However, he agreed that recent statistics show a downward trend.

“In the last quarter, 25 weapons were recovered from cars,” Hollow explained. “Remember, we were up there in the ’50s. We just need to keep spreading the message – please remember to take your guns out of your car.”

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

Council member Gina Driscoll noted that the number of homeless people downtown appears to have increased.

Holloway said the city needs to change its 2^nd Opportunity program due to storm impacts. The Youth Diversion Initiative offers an alternative to court and allows participants to exchange an arrest report for an eight-hour workday.

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

He explained that the city’s Parks and Recreation Department typically recruits participants for the program within a week of a crime being committed. Holloway praised Community Enrichment Administrator Mike Jefferis and his team for the “great job” of implementing the initiative.

“But with everything that’s going on, you see that nine kids couldn’t get into this program and are waiting in a line,” Holloway said. “So, we have now made a workaround…”

The department’s Community Assistance and Life Liaison (CALL) program, operated in collaboration with Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, will temporarily oversee the 2^nd Opportunity Initiative.

Holloway emphasized the importance of reaching these young people before relatively small problems become “big problems.” The CALL team provides a compassionate civilian response to behavioral emergency calls unaccompanied by officers.

They made an additional 902 community contacts in the third quarter and reported no injuries or violent incidents. “We have professionals helping people with their problem – and we don’t have a badge or a weapon at the scene,” Holloway said.

The department’s Police Assisting the Homeless (PATH) division made 585 contacts and 421 referrals to local nonprofit organizations. Despite the significant year-over-year increase, Councilwoman Gina Driscoll said she regularly receives complaints about homeless people sleeping in city parks and along the downtown waterfront.

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

“These are people who need to be helped – or problems that need to be addressed.”

She noticed that the problem occurs more often at night. Driscoll acknowledged the PATH and CALL programs, but questioned why officials don’t “see what I see 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 expect lawsuits if they allow people to sleep in public.