Editing Lake Worth Beach, Florida (section)

===Emergency services===

Lake Worth Beach previously operated its own fire department from 1913 until 2009, when firefighters voted to merge with [[Palm Beach County Fire Rescue]] (PBCFR). Among the supporting factors in the merger were cost-saving measures for the city and better career advancement opportunities for firefighters.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2009/10/01/lake-worth-fire-department-merges/7199844007/|title=Lake Worth Fire Department merges with county|date=October 1, 2009|author=Willie Howard|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|accessdate=December 13, 2021}}</ref> PBCFR has two stations within the city's boundaries, Station 91 at 1020 Lucerne Avenue (Battalion 3 headquarters) and Station 93 at 1229 Detroit Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discover.pbcgov.org/pbcfr/Lists/Station/All.aspx|title=Stations|publisher=Palm Beach County Government|accessdate=November 9, 2021}}</ref> In order to prepare for, mitigate, and recover from emergencies and disasters, Lake Worth Beach's Emergency Management Program has established the Emergency Management team. Parts of the city are located within Evacuation Zone C,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lakeworthbeachfl.gov/emergency-management/|title=Emergency Management|publisher=City of Lake Worth Beach, Florida|accessdate=November 9, 2021}}</ref> which is ordered to evacuate when a Category&nbsp;3 hurricane (or stronger) threatens the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbgfl.com/DocumentCenter/View/108/Map-A9Coastal-Evacuation-Zones-and-Routes-PDF|title=Map A.9. Coastal Evacuation Zones & Routes|date=September 21, 2016|publisher=City of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida|accessdate=November 9, 2021}}</ref> The nearest hospital is the [[JFK Medical Center (Atlantis, Florida)|JFK Medical Center]] in [[Atlantis, Florida|Atlantis]].<ref name="district 3">{{cite web|url=https://discover.pbcgov.org/countycommissioners/DistrictMaps/D3-Map.pdf|publisher=Palm Beach County Government|title=Palm Beach County District 3|accessdate=November 9, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104230529/https://discover.pbcgov.org/countycommissioners/DistrictMaps/D3-Map.pdf|archivedate=November 4, 2021}}</ref>

Lake Worth Beach has a local reputation for high crime and has been counted as among the highest crime cities in the state.<ref name="PBPCrimeRank">{{cite news |author=Chelsea Todaro|title=Report: 2 Palm Beach County cities among most dangerous in the U.S. |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/new-city-pbc-other-florida-cities-among-most-dangerous-the/6VncCoyV9oIQ9VaXsOMocL/ |access-date=July 6, 2018 |newspaper=The Palm Beach Post |date=February 28, 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927101809/https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/new-city-pbc-other-florida-cities-among-most-dangerous-the/6VncCoyV9oIQ9VaXsOMocL/|archivedate=September 27, 2018}}</ref> Partially due to this, city commissioners narrowly voted to disband the Lake Worth Police Department in 2008, with law enforcement duties being taken over by the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] (PBSO). At the time, the municipal police department employed 91&nbsp;sworn officers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wflx.com/story/8789889/lake-worth-approves-police-merger-with-sheriffs-office/|title=Lake Worth approves police merger with sheriff's office|date=August 5, 2008|author=Lindsay Cohen|newspaper=WFLX|accessdate=December 13, 2021}}</ref> Crime initially fell in the years following the merger, with murders down 73%, robberies down 47%, and burglaries down 23% from the period of 2007 to 2014.<ref name="PBPFourthDangerous">{{cite news |author=Kevin Thompson|title=Fourth most dangerous city in state? This local city takes exception |url=https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/fourth-most-dangerous-city-state-this-local-city-takes-exception/zLj81k91xOAcDT1PtcJDfO/ |access-date=November 9, 2021|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|date=August 14, 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706191250/https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/fourth-most-dangerous-city-state-this-local-city-takes-exception/zLj81k91xOAcDT1PtcJDfO/|archivedate=July 6, 2018}}</ref> Violent crime rates then dropped by double-digit percentages for three consecutive years, 2016&ndash;2018. However, in 2019, the violent crime rate increased by 5.2% from the previous year. Much of the rise was attributable to an increase in aggravated assaults, although the city reported a decrease in burglaries and rapes.<ref name="millian">{{cite news|url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2020/05/08/after-big-drops-crime-in-lake-worth-beach-surged-in-2019/41703937/|title=After big drops, crime in Lake Worth Beach surged in 2019|date=May 8, 2020|author=Jorge Millian|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|accessdate=November 9, 2021}}</ref> Today, PBSO maintains a police substation at 120 North G Street as part of their 14th district, which encompasses the municipal boundaries of Lake Worth Beach and has 82&nbsp;deputies and 12&nbsp;civilian employees.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbso.org/our-communities/south-regional-bureau/d14/|author=Captain Todd Baer|title=District 14 – Lake Worth Beach|publisher=Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office|accessdate=December 13, 2021}}</ref>

In addition to high crime rates, the city was part of the worsening [[opioid epidemic in the United States]]. From 2015 to 2016, the number of suspected drug overdose deaths rose by 56%. As of 2016, the estimated rate of overdose deaths was 20 out of every 10,000&nbsp;people, higher than in neighboring towns.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/delray-beach/fl-recovery-industry-opioid-epidemic-20161224-story.html|date=December 24, 2016|title=Amid opioid crisis, a look at Palm Beach County's worst-affected cities|author=Ryan Van Velzer|newspaper=Sun-Sentinel|access-date=November 9, 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> Overdose rates began decreasing in the late 2010s. PBSO reported 301&nbsp;overdoses in Lake Worth Beach between May&nbsp;2019 and April&nbsp;2020, down from 354&nbsp;between May&nbsp;2018 and April&nbsp;2019.<ref name="millian"/>