Forest Beach, Mathews Drive top spots for Hilton Head crime reports

Two Hilton Head Island areas account for almost one-fourth of all crime reported on the island, according to 2014 crime statistics.

Forest Beach, the island’s biggest tourism spot, as well as the Mathews Drive area, the location of several of Hilton Head’s largest apartment complexes, were hotspots for both property and violent crime reports, according to an analysis of a year’s worth of crime statistics by The Island Packet.

Together, Forest Beach and the Mathews Drive area accounted for more than 1,000 reports of the about 4,300 that were filed on the island with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office in 2014.

Hilton Head Island is generally considered a safe area, according to Capt. Bob Bromage of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. And there’s no fear of a crime wave.

Rather, the two communities have been long-standing areas of concern for both residents and town officials, with crime statistics driven by commercial development, tourism and large apartment complexes.

“Those have been areas where you traditionally see higher crime levels,” Bromage said. “They’re high-traffic areas, and there is a lot of opportunity for crime.”

Forest Beach working to combat crime

In January, town leaders said combating crime in Forest Beach would be a top priority.

The analysis shows there is valid reason for the extra attention. In 2014, the area posted 590 crime reports — including 194 thefts, 107 disturbances and 60 drug violations, making it one of the highest crime density areas on Hilton Head.

Forest Beach’s top spot for reports: Cordillo Court Villas, a condominium complex near South Forest Beach Drive. The single address racked up 79 reports, including 29 drug violations, mostly related to marijuana and crack cocaine.

The low-income complex posted the fourth highest number of crime reports islandwide.

Some South Forest Beach residents view it and other large low-income complexes as problem areas, said Jack Daly, president of the Forest Beach Property Owners Association.

“The problem is not that there is low-income housing here. We want that, and we need more of that on the island,” Daly said. “The concern is that the housing we do have is in bad shape.”

Efforts are underway to improve the Cordillo community. A Hilton Head nonprofit, Neighborhood Outreach Connection, opened a program center in the Cordillo neighborhood in 2014 that offers tutoring to children in the nearby complexes.

Residents are also pushing for a redevelopment of four derelict tennis courts in the neighborhood owned by the Town of Hilton Head. The town considered selling the run-down properties but opted to keep the land this month after protests from residents who said the neighborhood children relied on the open space to play. Residents suggested the property could be developed into a green space to improve the community.

Even with its higher crime rate compared to other Hilton Head areas, Forest Beach is far from a crime-ridden area. In fact, it’s likely safer today than in years past. The number of public safety calls from the area has declined every year from 2008 to 2015, according to another Island Packet analysis conducted last summer.

And it’s not just apartment complexes that are impacting Forest Beach’s crime reports. The large number of tourists in the area also contribute.

The single address with the second most reports in Forest Beach, for example, was the shopping center, Coligny Plaza, with 62 reports. The majority of the crimes reported in the complex were shoplifting, vandalism and disturbances split among the center’s more than 50 commercial spaces.

That type of crime is ordinary for a shopping center and tourism hub of Coligny’s size, said property manager Chris Young.

“Crime has never been any sort of concern here,” Young said. “It’s not something I’ve ever heard discussed as a problem.”

Hotels, including Beach House by Holiday Inn and the Metropolitan Hotel on South Forest Beach Drive, also contributed to a higher crime rate in the area which together posted about 60 reports, driven primarily by theft and disorderly conduct.

Mathews Drive still a problem, but improving

A cluster of low-income apartment complexes in the area near the intersection of Mathews Drive and William Hilton Parkway have been considered a crime trouble spot for decades, say town officials. That includes Hilton Head Gardens, Sandlewood Terrace, The Oaks and Woodlake Villas.

But the nature of the reports has changed in recent years, according to the Beaufort County’s Sheriff’s Office. A larger percentage are now minor crimes. For example, the area’s most-reported crimes in 2014 were trespassing and suspicious activity — preventative calls made by residents.

In 2014, the area accounted for 471 total crime reports, including 113 at Hilton Head Gardens, 56 at Woodlake Villas and 26 at The Oaks.

Hilton Head Gardens posted the third highest number of crime reports on Hilton Head, after Walmart and the “Barmuda Triangle,” a group of restaurants and bars near Sea Pines. The 112-unit complex at 11 Southwood Park Drive reported 24 trespassing cases and 20 assaults. There were also 19 drug violations, including nine related to the sale of crack cocaine.

As a whole, the most common crimes in the community after suspicious activity calls were thefts, with 76 reports; drug violations, with 53 reports; and assaults, with 42 reports that year.

The area’s large number of low-income residents likely make it a target for criminals, seeking vulnerable would-be victims, according to law enforcement officials.

Since 2008, Neighborhood Outreach Connection has also led a program in The Oaks. Since the beginning of the program, the number and severity of crime reports in the area have dropped significantly, said NOC chairman Narendra Sharma.

The program has worked to build a stronger sense of community involvement by organizing residents, planning events with law enforcement and constructing a playground.

“Crime is the social cost of a lack of opportunity,” Sharma said. “It’s well-documented that, in areas with high unemployment or where people are struggling economically, you see crime rise. If you improve the community, then you’ll see a drop in the crime rate.”

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Forest Beach, Mathews Drive top spots for Hilton Head crime reports."