Area crime stats

It has been a violent 2009 for Manatee, with 28 homicides investigated so far this year, a record by far for the area. Sheriff Brad Steube throughout the years has expressed frustration over the homicide rate, blaming the majority on illicit drug activity.

But the homicide rate has surprisingly been met with a report by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that crime overall was way down in the first six months of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

Earlier this year, FDLE also released crime statistics for 2008 that showed a slight increase in crime of 0.4 percent compared to 2007, and reductions in all of the county’s cities from 2007 to 2008.

Some crime facts:

n From 2007 to 2008, crime increased 0.4 percent in Manatee, with a 2.4 increase in unincorporated Manatee, a 5.1 decrease in Bradenton, a 23.2 percent decrease in Bradenton Beach, a 10.8 decrease in Holmes Beach, 8.7 percent decrease in Longboat Key and a 4 percent decrease in Palmetto.

n In the first six months of 2009 compared to the same timeframe in 2008, crime dropped in Manatee County by 14.7 percent, with a 14.6 percent drop in unincorporated Manatee, a 10.6 percent decrease in Bradenton and a 39.6 percent decrease in Palmetto. Crime on the islands did increase, in Bradenton Beach by 90.6 percent; by 10 percent in Holmes Beach; and 13.3 percent in Longboat Key.