Crime & Safety

Duluth Had Lowest 2011 Crime Rate

Report released by Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher compares violent and property crimes in Gwinnett cities.

Duluth regained its status as the city with the lowest crime rate in Gwinnett County during 2011 among cities with their own police departments, according to a report released by Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher. “And we did it with the fewest police officers [per 1,000 population],” he said.

The chief's report includes Part 1 crime statistics from 2005 to 2011 based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. Part 1 crimes are murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny (theft), motor vehicle theft, and arson.

The report compares the number of violent and property crimes in Duluth, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Norcross, Snellville, and Suwanee, all of which have city police departments. It does not include Gwinnett County Police Department statistics. Belcher released the report in early March.

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Figures for 2005-2011 are provided in the report. Duluth had the lowest crime rate 2005-2008, but dropped to second lowest in 2009 and 2010, Belcher said. Suwanee had the lowest rate those two years.

For most of the seven years covered in the report, including 2011, Duluth had the lowest rate of officers per 1,000 population. With a population of 26,950, Duluth had 53 sworn police officers in 2011, which translates to 1.96 officers per 1,000 citizens.

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Here are the figures for 2011 Part 1 Crimes in the cities contained in the report:

Duluth – Population 26,950
Part 1 Crimes Total – 599
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter – 1
Forcible rape – 8
Robbery – 16
Aggravated Assault – 31
Burglary – 88
Larceny (theft) – 440
Motor Vehicle Theft – 15
Arson – 0
Crime Rate per population – 22.22
Number of Officers – 53
Officers per 1,000 population – 1.96

Lawrenceville – Population 28,922
Part 1 Crimes Total – 1,172
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter – 3
Forcible rape – 9
Robbery – 41
Aggravated Assault – 32
Burglary – 219
Larceny (theft) – 799
Motor Vehicle Theft – 68
Arson – 1
Crime Rate per population – 40.52
Number of Officers – 70
Officers per 1,000 population – 2.42

Lilburn – Population 11,749
Part 1 Crimes Total – 793
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter – 0
Forcible rape – 0
Robbery – 26
Aggravated Assault – 27
Burglary – 114
Larceny (theft) – 594
Motor Vehicle Theft – 32
Arson – 0
Crime Rate per population – 67.49
Number of Officers – 27
Officers per 1,000 population – 2.29

Norcross – Population 9,236
Part 1 Crimes Total – 544
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter – 0
Forcible rape – 4
Robbery – 20
Aggravated Assault – 28
Burglary – 120
Larceny (theft) – 345
Motor Vehicle Theft – 27
Arson – 0
Crime Rate per population – 58.89
Number of Offiers – 38
Officers per 1,000 population – 4.11

Snellville – Population 18,482
Part 1 Crimes Total – 827
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter – 0
Forcible rape – 1
Robbery – 13
Aggravated Assault – 31
Burglary – 100
Larceny (theft) – 655
Motor Vehicle Theft – 27
Arson – 0
Crime Rate per population – 44.74
Number of Officers – 43
Officers per 1,000 population – 2.32

Suwanee – Population 15,557
Part 1 Crimes Total – 365
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter – 0
Forcible rape – 2
Robbery – 5
Aggravated Assault – 8
Burglary – 75
Larceny (theft) – 259
Motor Vehicle Theft – 16
Arson – 0
Crime Rate per population – 23.46
Number of Officers – 35
Officers per 1,000 population – 2.24


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