Violent crime numbers down dramatically in Downtown Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The number of violent crimes is down dramatically in Downtown Austin compared to this time last year. The latest numbers from the Austin Police Department show a 63 percent drop in crimes like robbery and aggravated assault from January 2012 to January 2013.

"I don't think its rocket science," said Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo. "I've always told folks that there's a direct correlation between police visibility and crimes and bad outcomes."

APD has increased both the amount of officers downtown and their visibility in the last several months, after a spike in violent crime last year.

A power shift of eight additional officers and a sergeant adds to manpower, along with metro tactical officers who have been pulled from other parts of the city.

"The police do a great job," said Bob Guerin, who has lived downtown for 12 years. "You see them on bike, you see them on horse, you see them driving around. There's a high presence down here."

Several APD initiatives, including the Public Order Initiative, have helped curb crime, too, according to Acevedo.

"It;s officers ensuring that people pay attention to details, that we enforce the laws, people drinking in public, urinating in public, people doing things that really impacts the quality of life," Acevedo said. "When you do that, the criminal element, the people that are up to no good, end up moving away from the area, leaving the area and hopefully out of our city."

Crime numbers from the Austin police department show a higher rate of violent crime in January 2012 when compared to this year. In 2012, there were 21 reported aggravated assaults and 13 robberies. In the same month this year, there were seven reported aggravated assaults and four robberies.

"Whatever they're doing, they're doing something right," said Guerin.

The downward trend appears to continue in to February, as well. There were eight robberies during the first week of February last year. This year, there were none.

Since October of 2011, Austin Police have also been using HALO cameras in the Downtown area. While police say they don't feel the cameras have stopped crimes from happening, they have made it easier to catch criminals.