Orlando police brought some cautiously good news to District 3 this week, telling residents at a community meeting that violent crime and shootings are trending down citywide while officers are leaning harder on traffic enforcement in the neighborhood.
Chief Eric Smith walked neighbors through the latest numbers and enforcement efforts, sharing what the department says it has been seeing on the streets in recent months.
According to a post from the Orlando Police, the department has responded to 733 e-bike and scooter incidents across the city. The agency reports shootings are down 15% citywide and violent crime is down 7% overall. In District 3, the department says shootings have dropped 36%, with 7 so far in 2026 compared with 11 over the same period in 2025, and the district has recorded two homicides. Officers there conducted 4,471 traffic stops, issued 1,004 citations and reported that officer-initiated activity is up 12% over the reporting period.
Residents in District 3 had the opportunity to connect with Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith during tonight's community meeting. Chief Smith shared an update on crime trends, highlighted the work of the officers serving District 3, and answered questions from community members.… pic.twitter.com/Mp2kkIGmes
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) July 17, 2026
Where The Meeting Took Place
The District 3 session with Chief Smith was held Thursday at Audubon K-8 School in southwest Orlando, according to the City of Orlando event listing. The city notice lays out the meeting location and provides contact details for anyone looking to follow up with organizers.
Context And Enforcement Strategy
City officials have pitched these town halls as part of a broader strategy that pairs highly visible patrols with more face-to-face community engagement. Local coverage has tracked that approach in other parts of Orlando as well.
As detailed in a recent enforcement drives roundup, department leaders have pointed to traffic enforcement and targeted operations as tools that have coincided with drops in shootings.
Where To See The Numbers
For residents who want to dig into the data themselves, the department directs people to its Crime & Cases dashboard and the Citizen Connect map, where incident reports and trends can be explored in close to real time. The City of Orlando maintains those open-data tools so the public can sort by incident type, neighborhood and time period.
Neighbors at the District 3 meeting flagged traffic safety and e-micromobility issues as top concerns, and police said they plan to keep mixing enforcement with outreach and education. Officials encouraged residents to show up at future district meetings and to use the city’s online tools to report problems or track what is happening on their blocks.
