By Tia Lyons
Staff Writer
While overall crime rates rose sharply in El Dorado last year, another trend emerged that helped citizens and police work together to solve cases.
Violent and property crime rates increased 59 percent in the city in 2018, with reports of burglary and breaking or entering jumping by a whopping 150 percent.
Such reports increased from 310 in 2017 to 711 in 2018, according to crime trends that were released by the El Dorado Police Department.
Robberies doubled in the city in 2018, going from 16 the previous year to 32 — a 100 percent increase.
Crime statistics in El Dorado were up in nearly every category last year, except one: reports of arson dropped from eight to two between 2017 and 2018.
The city’s murder rate increased by one, going from three in 2017 to four in 2018.
Three of the four murders, all shooting deaths, occurred in two separate incidents within three weeks of each other last October.
A Little Rock man was killed and an El Dorado man was injured in a shooting on Oct. 7.
An El Dorado man and a North Little Rock woman were killed Oct. 28 in a shooting in which another man and woman were seriously injured.
Several suspects, including the alleged shooters, have been taken into custody in connection to both incidents.
A Louisiana man was apprehended in Texas and charged with first-degree murder last February, days after the body of a woman was discovered inside a car in the area of West Main and Oak Valley.
The woman was also from Louisiana and police believe her death resulted from domestic violence that was committed by the suspect.
The index for violent crimes — murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault — was 176 in 2018 and 137 in 2017.
The property crime index was far wider between 2017 and 2018, with reports of burglary/breaking or entering, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson skyrocketing from 762 to 1,263.
The total value of property that was reported stolen in 2018 came to $868,290 and the value of the property that was recovered was $350,895.
Of a total crime index of 1,429, 87 percent of the cases were cleared by the EPD.
Sgt. Chris Lutman, public information officer for the EPD, acknowledged increases in the major categories of “crimes against people and crimes against property.”
Lutman also pointed out that fewer arrests were made in 2018 than in 2017.
However, two factors that were key in helping EPD investigators solve cases were surveillance cameras — home and business — and the use of social media, Lutman said.
“We encourage the citizens of El Dorado to look into additional home security features if they do not have any,” he advised.
Lutman said residents can take an even more active role in helping to curb crime and improve safety in El Dorado by forming neighborhood watch groups and reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhoods “without fear.”
Noting that property crimes nearly doubled in 2018, Lutman said that in many cases, vehicles and homes were reportedly left unlocked and the property unsecured.
“Very few of the victims provided serial numbers or other identifying features for property, which could potentially solve additional cases,” he said.
When committee property crimes, offenders typically follow the path of least resistance, Lutman stressed.
“So in this case, make sure you have adequate lighting on your homes and streets,” he said.
To report streetlight outages, call the Department of Public Works at 870-863-4244, El Dorado City Council members or Entergy.
City officials have reminded residents to provide utility pole numbers and locations when reporting the outages.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].