Busted In Acadiana

Finally, someone other than Busted In Acadiana that ain’t buying those crime stats.

According to The Advocate, overall crime in 2012 increased 2.4 percent from 2011 in Lafayette, the numbers show.

However, a five-year look at crime offered a different perspective.

Homicides from 2008 to last year see-sawed each year, from 11 in 2008 to eight in 2009, from 12 in 2010 to six in 2011.

Rapes have dropped significantly, according to the department’s data, which show that 73 reported rapes in 2008 fell to 11 reported cases in 2012.

Jill Dugas, the executive director with Hearts of Hope in Lafayette, disputes the number of rapes reported by Lafayette police.

She said the number should be higher.

Hearts of Hope operates the Rape Crisis Center in Lafayette, which offers counseling to victims.

Dugas said Thursday afternoon that she had left a message with Craft about her concerns about the accuracy of the data on rapes.

Lafayette police distributed the crime statistics report to area news outlets on Thursday.