By Bryan Bartlett
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-828127.mp3
Lexington, KY – Crime in Lexington and Fayette County was up slightly in 2008 from the previous year with 11,549 reported offenses - an increase of 380 from 2007, when crime in Fayette County was at a 34-year-low. Lexington Police Chief Ronnie Bastin says that up until August of last year, those numbers were in line with the previous year, until they noticed a sudden spike in property crimes.
Bastin credits the subsequent arrests and prosecutions made possible by the formation last year of the Theft Burglary Reduction Task Force with bringing those numbers back in line with the record low 2007 figures. In spite of the modest increase in offenses from last year, Bastin says Lexington residents continue to enjoy a relatively low crime rate compared to the national average.