Property crime prevention helped drop crime rate nearly 14 percent

A significant drop in property crimes helped reduce overall crime for the first half of year in Manatee County, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s 2017 semi-annual uniform crime reports.

In Manatee County, crime dropped 13.9 percent in the first six months of 2017 with 4,257 index crimes — murders, forcible rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle theft — reported to law enforcement. In the first six months of 2016, there were 4,944 index crimes reported in Manatee County.

The drop of crime was the result of robberies, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts reported. Murders also saw a decrease in the first six months of 2017, according to the report, but they have since been on the rise in Manatee County.

“We have really concentrated proactive patrolling, trying to be in the neighborhoods as much we can especially during the evening hours,” Manatee Sheriff Rick Wells told the Herald this week.

The sheriff’s office has focused on combating burglaries, particularly vehicle burglaries, according to Wells. The effort has resulted in the arrests of several suspects known to commit sprees of vehicle burglaries.

“It is a testament to the men and women of the sheriff’s office and the work they do,” Wells said.

Rape and aggravated assaults saw an increase in the first six months of 2017. Along with murder, those are crimes that are more difficult for law enforcement to prevent, Wells said.

Most sexual battery cases in Manatee County, however, involved incidents in which the perpetrator is known to the victim, so serial rapists are not a problem, Wells said.

Statewide, the crime rate also saw a decline of 2 percent, with 306,817 index crimes reported in the first six months of 2017.

The report shows Florida’s crime volume dropped 2 percent — roughly 6,300 fewer reported index crimes — compared to the first six months of 2016. In the first six months of 2016, there were 313,113 index crimes reported statewide.

“Each and every day, the brave men and women of Florida’s law enforcement community selflessly work to keep our neighborhoods safe and as Florida’s crime rate continues to drop, we’re reminded of their important and life-saving work,” Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement issued Tuesday.

This story was originally published November 23, 2017 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Property crime prevention helped drop crime rate nearly 14 percent."