CAPE, LEHIGH LEARN LESSON IN CRIME

Killings Highlight Factors That Fuel Violence In Once-Quiet Areas

Three bodies. Two cities. Three days.

It's not something anyone might blink an eye at in an urban sprawl
such as Miami or Tampa, but the recent homicides in Cape Coral and
Lehigh Acres tied or set records in both cities, and experts say
explosive economic and population growth are indirect factors.

Lonnie Athens, criminology professor at Seton Hall University in New
Jersey and author of several books, including "Why They Kill: The
Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist," said the rapid migration of
people from different backgrounds could have a lot to do with it.

"Whenever you get an influx of different people to an area, you're
going to see a destabilization," Athens said. "The norms that people
operate on can start to clash."

In 2000, Cape Coral's population stood at roughly 100,000, while
Lehigh was at about 33,000. Since then, those estimates have rocketed
to 159,000 and 60,000, respectively.

In terms of size, Cape Coral is 114 square miles, while Lehigh is
94.89 square miles. The average age for both primarily residential
areas is between 39 and 41.

Athens described communities experiencing growing pains as "turbulent
communities," not to be confused with "malignant communities," or
those that are so infected with crime they become difficult to control.

"It's easier to change a turbulent community back to a civil one than
it is to turn a malignant community back to a civil one," he said.

In other words, it's not a lost cause, but some residents are still worrying.

"I'm more safety-conscious now, but I still feel safe," Lehigh
resident Damon Shelor said.

Cape police have reported five homicides this year, matching last
year's total and the most since at least 1986. In Lehigh, six have
been reported this year, up from four last year and the high of five
set in 2002.

Sheriff Mike Scott said he's "not surprised" at the violent crime
swell in both areas considering the population increase.

"I'm a third generation native of this town, and I've seen the
explosive and virtually uncontrolled growth," Scott said. "We blinked
our eyes and became this big metropolitan area, and across the map,
you go to a big city, you'll find big city crime."

Scott was quick to point out there have been definite benefits to
that growth, but it can sometimes outpace law enforcement's ability
to deal with it.

"As we grow larger and larger and faster and faster, it's difficult
if we don't grow with it," he said.

Randall Atlas is vice president of Atlas Safety & Security Design
Inc. in Miami. With a Ph.D in criminology and a degree in
architecture, he helps growing cities minimize crime at the planning
stages of development.

"Primarily it's that the communities have outstripped the resources,"
Atlas said. "The infrastructure has grown at such a rapid pace and
the staffing of law enforcement is still at the ratios they were
prior to the growth."

But both agencies have been trying to keep up. They each have been
granted an additional 40-some deputies/officers for the next fiscal year.

Cape Coral police Chief Rob Petrovich has said that having more
officers helps the department to be proactive instead of reactive to crime.

Scott said he realizes it's expensive to train and employ more
people, but the cost in terms of crime can be high.

"I'm not anti-growth, but it is what it is," he said. "Undoubtedly,
we're paying a price for it."

With 206 officers on the Cape police force, there is approximately
1.2 officers for every 1,000 residents.

Another factor that makes both cities appealing for criminals is that
despite the development, there still are plenty of remote locations
to commit those crimes.

On Saturday, Cape Coral police discovered two homicide victims in a
secluded area of an industrial park, and a passer-by in Lehigh Acres
on Monday happened to notice the body of a man in a vacant lot.

Scott said deputies can't frequently patrol those spots in-between
calls because there might be a delayed response on an emergency call
in the more populated area. Helicopters, he said, occasionally will
sweep over those places just to make a routine check.

That seclusion also has been attributed to the increase in marijuana
grow houses. There have been 67 grow houses busted in the Cape and 14
in Lehigh since Jan 1, 2005.

Narcotics officers at the sheriff's office have said an increase in
drug houses can also perpetuate an increase in other crimes -
including homicide.

"Of course people look to conduct illicit and illegal business in
areas that are not as visible," Atlas said. "Part of reducing that is
reducing the no-man's land as much as possible."

He said that means erecting fencing, lighting and signs around those
areas to let people know what is not permitted - and then diligently
enforcing consequences when the rules are broken.

Both the sheriff's office and Cape Coral police typically are
consulted by economic planners when new development takes place in
order to reduce the number of dark alleys, blind spots and other
potential crime scenes.

"There is definitely a very strong input from the police department
on the design of commercial and residential development," Cape city
spokesman Mike Jackson said.

Jackson also was quick to point out that despite the recent killings,
Cape Coral was ranked the third-safest city in Florida last year. And
according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, violent crime
in Lee County actually dropped 2.6 percent from 2004 to 2005.

"Crime has never been lower," Atlas said of the national trend. "The
difference is that awareness has never been greater."

But no matter how much planning goes into crime prevention, some acts
just can't be stopped.

"Murder is the single most difficult crime to prevent because it is
extremely spontaneous," Scott said. "If you're on traffic patrol, you
can go out and write a hundred tickets and hope to affect people's
driving habits. But it only takes a split second to pull a trigger.
How do you interfere with that?"

- - The Lehigh News-Star staff writer Justin St. clair contributed to this report.