CRIME this is always a hot topic, and for good reason. Crime affects our economy, costs to our local government, its taxpayers, and is an indicator of our city’s overall health. We are very fortunate in Bartow in that we don’t have a large percentage of violent crime, but we do have crime that costs us all ... property crime.

Since 2008, crime in Bartow has steadily declined. I am very proud of that. We have hard working men and women at the Bartow Police Department with a goal of reducing crime every day. You may wonder, “Is there more that we can do as a community?” Yes, there is. I am glad you asked.