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PBSO: Wellington saw major-crime decline in 2024 despite rise in overall calls, lieutenant says
Summary
Lieutenant Matthew Lavinia told the Village of Wellington Public Safety Committee that while total calls for service rose 3% in 2024, the crime index fell 25% and major crimes remain near 15‑year lows; deputies flagged unlocked vehicles and unlocked garages as leading contributors to thefts and vehicle recoveries.
Lieutenant Matthew Lavinia of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, District 8, briefed the Village of Wellington Public Safety Committee on the 2024 annual report, saying Wellington logged 91,703 calls for service in 2024 — a 3% increase over 2023 — even as the overall crime index fell 25%.
In the committee meeting on Sept. 10, 2025, Lavinia, the district’s executive office officer, said the increase in calls was driven by “self-initiated activity” such as traffic stops, business and residential checks and suspicious-person contacts, which made up about 81% of all calls. Non–self-initiated calls (911 and nonemergency calls) accounted for roughly 19% of calls and declined 13.2% from 2023.
The report showed long-term declines in several major crime categories. “The crime index dropped 25% from 2023 to 2024,” Lavinia said, and Wellington’s 2024 totals were among the lowest in the past 15 years. Lavinia presented itemized counts and clearance rates: 27 residential burglaries in 2024 with 12 cleared (44% clearance rate); 108 vehicle burglaries, of which 86 (about 80%) involved unlocked vehicles; and 50 stolen vehicles, a decline of 18% from 2023, with 37 recovered (a 74% recovery rate). Lavinia emphasized the role unlocked vehicles and keys left in cars played in vehicle thefts, noting that 62% of stolen vehicles were reported unlocked with keys inside.
Lavinia also highlighted 2024 figures for other categories: three robberies (a 50% decline from 2023), 139 shoplifting cases (down 19%), and an increase in targeted enforcement on golf-cart incidents. He said golf-cart incidents totaled 80 in 2024 (including 27 traffic stops and 16 crashes) and that PBSO ran “Operation Fairway” in 2025 to focus on education and enforcement; the operation produced citations, warnings and numerous stops.
Volunteer and specialty programs were also discussed. Wellington’s Citizen Observer Patrol Unit 1 reported approximately 14,599 volunteer hours and wrote 377 tickets and warnings in 2024. Lavinia recognized Unit 1 volunteer captain Howard Gross as Volunteer of the Year and Ken Finkelman as Volunteer Captain of the Year for the overall PBSO volunteer program.
Committee vice chair Ron Herman congratulated the department and noted local press coverage. Committee members asked practical questions about reporting tools and how residents sign up for HomeAway and HouseWatch patrols; Lavinia pointed them to pbso.org and the Village of Wellington PBSO web tab for online submissions. Michael O’Rourke asked about changes in deputy staffing; Lavinia said the number of deputies remained the same and noted a recently approved budget change adding a sergeant position.
The report did not propose any policy changes; it summarized statistics, enforcement efforts and community programs and identified golf-cart safety and vehicle-theft prevention as continuing priorities for 2025.
