Crime a growing pain in Santa Rosa County

Crime a growing pain in Santa Rosa County The growth in Santa Rosa County that is elevating property values and bringing added retail shopping opportunities also is fueling increased crime."The crime rate today is up. It's up 17 percent over last year at this time," Santa Rosa County Sheriff Wendell Hall told the Central Santa Rosa Republican Club recently. "If we can come in with less than a 10 percent increase by the end of the year, I won't be happy, but I won't be quite as sad."Many categories of lawlessness have increased by double or even triple digits this year over last year. The number of calls for law enforcement service is up. Arrests have increased to the point where Hall believes the county jail may need to be expanded.The cause?"We're experiencing growth, and unfortunately, a certain percentage of those individuals who move in here won't play by the rules," Hall said.