It’s never a good sign when 1,539 crimes are reported in a calendar year for a parish the size and population of St. John the Baptist.

However, it is worth noting the 1,539 crimes reported in 2014 represent an approximate 6 percent drop in crimes, compared 1,636 in 2013.

Thankfully, in numbers submitted to the FBI, total reports dropped in homicide, burglary, theft and auto theft in 2014 compared to 2013. The areas that saw crime increases included reports of rape, robbery and assaults.

There were 164 assaults logged in 2014, compared to 142 in 2013 (20 percent increase).

“People fighting and not being able to resolve conflicts is an ongoing problem,” Sheriff Mike Tregre said. “The majority of the cases are not witnessed by law enforcement, where the parties file charges with the local Justice of the Peace. There are still too many kids being arrested for fighting due to social media conflicts or turf battles in St. John Parish.”

This is not a new problem, and local enforcement has been asking for greater parent and family understanding for some time.

In August, Tregre said the danger of gunplay by youth was exemplified in LaPlace, where horseplay led to a shooting, surgery and an arrest. In that case, authorities reported a female victim and her sister were in their house with two male friends. One of the friends took a gun from the waistband of his pants and played around with it.

Authorities said the shooter thought he unloaded the gun and pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, the gun discharged, and the bullet struck the victim in the arm.

This silly and avoidable mishap doesn’t highlight the whole problem, which authorities said includes children and teenagers posing for social media photographs with handguns.

“There is a fascination with it,” Tregre said in the summer. “We see them every week. When we go to the home, parents are shocked that their juvenile child is even posting pictures with guns. Some of them even hold (the gun) and point it at themselves. We’re seeing it on social media daily.

“I’m just trying to figure out a way that we can work in the community to explain to our youth and make them understand the dangers of handguns.”

The crime numbers show that message is not getting across, and law enforcement can’t deliver it alone.

Parents, guardians, role models and community leaders are needed to downplay the fascination our youth have with weapons, the consequences of which helped lead to a 20 percent increase in assaults across the parish.

It’s a serious problem that can all-too-easily end with fatal consequences.