Florida’s overall crime rate has hit a 41-year low. Regan McCarthy reports the state’s total number of crimes for 2011 is down by a tenth of a percent, and the number of violent crimes is down 3.7-percent.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey says Floridians are safer now than “any time in the last four decades.” Bailey says the decrease is thanks to the state’s law enforcement officers, but he says that safety has come at a cost.
“2011 proved to be a bad year, with 7 law enforcement officers and one correctional officer killed, due to criminal acts, and 3 law enforcement officers killed accidentally, but in the line of duty.”
And Bailey points out that two law enforcement officers and one corrections officer have already been killed this year. Non violent crimes, like burglary, larceny and vehicle theft, increased by about a quarter of a percent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgzAfoPnakI&list=UUh08QyWi_SD4AvfoQQXmodw&index=1&feature=plcp
The complete 2011 Annual Uniform Crime Report, including county-by-county breakdowns, can be found on FDLE’s website.
