FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County public schools experienced a drop in crime last year, according to a recently released report.
The number of incidents decreased from 38 per 1,000 in 2004 to approximately 34 per 1,000 students in 2005.
Weapons-related incidents increased, but fewer involved guns. More involved knives.
Crime was higher at alternative education centers that serve at-risk junior high and high school youth. According to the Sun Sentinel, many students enrolled in these programs were attending because they already had discipline problems.
In previous years, critics contended that the district’s information was inaccurate. An official for the district says, however, that it has recently improved the reliability of the data and its reporting mechanisms.