36.61% is a big number.

With regards to the decrease in violent crime in Lake Highlands, it’s actually a record number.

LH Today caught up with the Northeast Deputy Chief of Police Tom Lawrence to discuss these latest crime statistics.

“These reports go back 5-6 years, and two years ago the District 10 stats certainly weren’t what I would consider very good,” says Chief Lawrence.

“As you can see by the report, violent crime reduction in District 10 is down over 36% from 2008 to 2009, which represents the biggest drop in the city.” (click here to see the report for District 10.)

According to Lawrence, this reduction in violent crime can be attributed to a variety of factors.

"It’s a combination of police work and community activism," he says. "The ongoing effort at Forest and Audelia has certainly attributed to the reduction."

"We have a lot of dedicated officers who do a great job, but the Lake Highlands community deserves a lot of credit, as well."

While crime across the board saw a significant decrease year over year, vehicle burglaries ticked up a bit in specific areas around Lake Highlands.

“It’s important to keep your personal belongings out of sight,” says Lawrence. “It’s not often a car will get burglarized when there's nothing in the car the thief can see.”

For all you GPS lovers out there, that means you. GPS devices sitting in windows are a calling card for any thief looking to make a quick buck, and they've become a very popular item for crooks.

In response to the City Council Briefing Report, District 10 Representative Jerry Allen was quick to point out the obvious - "it’s takes a village."

“It all boils down to a big team effort and an especially hard working police department,” says Allen.

“While the police force deserve a ton of credit, the residents of Lake Highlands are the best weapon we have against crime. All the volunteers in the VIP program and the home owners associations have done an incredible job of helping educate the people of Lake Highlands about crime issues and prevention.”

Another bit of good news for LH residents is the fact that Wednesday, January 6th marked the first day on the job for 36 new Dallas police officers.

“We are excited to have the increased man power for the division,” says Lawrence. “I believe we are currently at 3600 officers in our division.”

As we reported in December, Chief Lawrence recently interviewed for the Chief of Police position in Clearwater, Florida. Fortunately for the people of Lake Highlands, Deputy Chief Lawrence is staying put for now.

“No, I didn’t get that job," reports Lawrence. "I guess they decided to go in another direction."

While he would like to serve as Chief of Police one day, Lawrence won’t be interviewing for just any position.

“Ultimately I’d like to be Chief of Police one day, but I’m especially particular about the type of job I’d pursue," he says.

"It would really have to be an ideal situation for me to leave, because it will certainly be hard to top my current position here in Dallas."

Hats off to Deputy Chief Lawrence and all the hard working police officers of the NE Division, as well as the countless volunteers in the LH community who work hard to help our community as safe as possible.

To read our in-depth interview with Chief Lawrence in December, click here.