Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Ulrich Naujoks and Senior Criminal Intelligence Analyst Harry Hook gave the annual report for PBSO District 9 at the Thursday, June 5 meeting of the Royal Palm Beach Village Council.
While most categories of violent crime decreased over the past year, the overall crime rate in the village increased 8.9 percent, thanks to the proliferation of shoplifting.
The village contracts law enforcement services with the PBSO. The annual contract is worth $9,412,690, and part of the scope of services is an annual report to the council. The boundaries of PBSO District 9 mimic those of the village.
Naujoks briefed the council on a comprehensive list of community outreach efforts before getting to what he called “the meat and potatoes of my report,” which is the Uniform Crime Index. “The total crime index is used to measure the crime rate per 100,000 individuals,” he explained.
Violent crime dropped, but thanks in large part to shoplifting and other forms of larceny, the Total Crime Index rose 8.9 percent from 596 in 2023 to 649 in 2024. It should be noted that the overall crime trend in the village remains down from previous years. For example, 2024’s score of 649 compares favorably with 2014 to 2020, when the village achieved average scores of 856.
Murder incidents dropped to 0 in 2024 compared to 1 in 2023. While forcible rape rose from 10 to 12, in all 12 cases, the victim and perpetrator were acquainted. Robbery fell from 9 in 2023 to 8 in 2024. Aggravated assault plummeted from 72 to 43, and there were only 21 burglaries in the village compared to 60 in 2023. Total vehicle theft rose from 21 to 23. But larceny skyrocketed 28 percent from 423 to 542.
Larceny is by far the most frequent crime in the village. Of 649 total crimes reported, 542 were larceny. Larceny is up due to shoplifting, which rose from 183 in 2023 to 337 in 2024.
“Shoplifting rose 82 percent and is the major reason the Total Crime Index went up,” Naujoks said.
Big box retailers were the hardest hit. Target suffered 124 shoplifting cases last year, while Walmart reported 85 cases. Naujoks pointed at changes in corporate policies in handling shoplifters. They are rarely detained anymore due to liability issues.
“Burglary has to do with the privacy and sanctity of the home, so as a resident of the village, I am pleased to report that residential burglaries decreased 25 percent, business burglaries decreased 70 percent and storage unit burglaries decreased 91 percent from 32 to 3,” he said.
Naujoks had one very strong message to the community: “Please lock your vehicles! The great majority of vehicle burglaries, about 72 percent, are from unlocked vehicles. Last year, 11 firearms were stolen from cars and trucks — all of them unlocked.”
Naujoks praised the Citizen Observer Patrol, which patrolled parks 419 times last year, conducted more than 140 business checks and provided an overall value to the village of $18,207.
District 9 support services last year included 1,381 requests for fingerprinting in the station lobby. That same lobby processed 210 pounds of unwanted subscriptions last year. Meanwhile, deputies provided 44 hours of bicycle patrol, 20 hours horse-mounted patrol and 54 hours of marine patrol, plus support from the PBSO helicopter.
The PBSO’s annual report was well received by the village.
“We are very satisfied,” Village Manager Ray Liggins said. “The sheriff’s deputies are professional. They are experts in minimizing crime with their presence, intervening and deescalating negative encounters and enforcing the laws we all agree to abide by when necessary.”
Several members of the council expressed overall satisfaction with not only PBSO services, but with the performance of Naujoks.
Liggins put it this way, “The captain is first class. Sheriff [Ric] Bradshaw has always selected a captain for us who is committed to Royal Palm Beach. While it is not required, every captain has lived in Royal Palm Beach and has had a vested interest in everybody’s safety.”
