Violent Crime Down In Jefferson County In 2020

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL — While not many aspects of 2020 can claim to be better than 2019 — considering the political unrest, pandemic and other issues 2020 brought — at least one positive statistic came from 2020: a decrease in violent crime in Jefferson County.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has reviewed its crime statistics for 2020 and compared to the statistics for 2019, overall violent crime is down almost 14 percent in Jefferson County.

"The biggest change we saw this year was in the Center Point community. Overall violent crime was down about 27 percent," Sheriff Mark Pettway said. "We owe a great deal of this improvement to our citizens. They continue to be engaged and keep us aware of what is happening."

Homicides in Center Point also dropped for 2020. Homicides were down 43 percent when compared to 2019. The only increase was in the Bessemer division, which is likely attributed to the Sheriff’s Office assuming law enforcement responsibilities in Fairfield and other communities, Sgt Joni Money said.

"We are working hard on bringing those numbers down as well," Pettway said. "By continuing to bridge the gap between the Sheriff’s Office and the citizens, we will achieve that goal."