Crime down in Baker County

Crime down in Baker County

Union, Nassau, Clay also decrease

Baker County got a good report with the release of the annual crime statistics report on Friday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Along with a few other counties in north Florida, Baker County showed a marked decrease in the number of crimes last year. The county’s crime rate is down 16.2 percent according to the FDLE report. The results also show index crimes in the county are down 14.1 percent.

Baker County also posted impressive numbers on the percentage of solved crimes. The figures show the Baker County Sheriff’s Office at 51.4 percent compared to only 22 percent statewide.

"We are certainly pleased with these results," said Sheriff Joey Dobson. "We at the Baker County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work towards reducing and solving crimes on behalf of our citizens."

Sheriff Dobson credited his department for "staying on top of things" and also noted that their close relationship with the business community and neighborhood crime watches help solve cases and deter them as well.

Other north Florida counties that saw major crimes drop in 2007 include Alachua,4 percent; Clay, 2.1 percent; Nassau, 7.7 percent; and Union down 18.0 percent.

Bradford, Columbia, St. Johns, and Duval counties increased. In fact Duval County has the dubious honor of having the highest per-capita crime rate in the state. Only Miami-Dade had more murders in 2007.

The statistics come from the Annual Uniform Crime Report and are based on the number of "index crimes" reported during 2007 and by 410 of the 417 local, county and state law enforcement agencies. Index crimes include murder, forcible sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.

The crime rate edged up statewide about 1.4 percent compared to last year. Take into consideration that Florida’s population increased by 1.8 percent, or about 331,000 new residents from 2006 to 2007. The report reflects the crime rate is 35.7 percent lower than in 1997, a decade ago.

"Florida law enforcement is fully focused on fighting crime in our state," said FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey. "There are proactive and targeted efforts underway in each city and county. We will continue to work aggressively and collaboratively to safeguard our citizens."

The complete report, including county-by-county breakdowns, can be found of FDLE’s Web site.

http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/fsac/ucr/