Semi-annual Florida Uniform Crime Report

Historic City News received word from Governor Charlie Crist and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey, that crime in Florida is down 4.8 percent for the first half of 2010 over the same period last year.

The figure is part of the 2010 Semi-Annual Uniform Crime Report, which was released last week, providing a preliminary indication of this year’s crime figures. Total violent crime (murder, forcible sex offenses, robbery and aggravated assault) is down by 10.7 percent for the first six months of the year while total non-violent crime (burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft) declined 3.8 percent.

“I commend Florida’s law enforcement agencies for their commitment and dedication to keeping Floridians and visitors to our state safe,” Crist said. “We must never forget that each crime represents at least one victim, and we must continue to be ever vigilant to do all we can to keep our communities and neighborhoods secure.”

“The first six months of the year typically provide a good picture of where we are going the rest of the year, and the fact that we had 19,000 fewer crimes is a positive sign,” said Commissioner Bailey. “The men and women in law enforcement are working hard across our state.”

The Semi-Annual Uniform Crime Report showed a 6.1 percent decrease in the number of forcible sex offenses, a 17.1 percent decrease in robberies, an 8.9 percent decrease in aggravated assault, a 5.5 percent decrease in burglary, a 1.7 percent decrease in larceny, and a 17.3 percent decrease in motor vehicle thefts. The number of murders increased 3.6 percent. Domestic violence offenses declined 2.4 percent.

The complete 2010 Semi-Annual Crime in Florida, Uniform Crime Report, including county-by-county breakdowns, can be found on FDLE’s Web site.