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County crime rate rises
By ANITA KUMAR, Times Staff Writer TALLAHASSEE -- Florida's crime rate fell last year to its lowest level in 29 years, but rose throughout the Tampa Bay area. The statewide crime rate, including violent crimes, fell 0.4 percent in 2001 compared with the year before, according to statistics released Friday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was the 10th straight year the crime rate has gone down.
The overall crime rate rose slightly in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and went up more sharply in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. That's in contrast to other metropolitan areas, such as Miami-Dade, which mirrored statewide trends. In Hillsborough, the number of reported crimes went up 3.7 percent last year, which outpaced a 2.8 percent jump in population. Violent crime was a mixed story: The number of rapes rose from 577 to 885, but murders dropped from 76 to 58. Aggravated assaults also declined, from 7,511 to 7,245. Most of the increase was in property crime. The number of robberies in Hillsborough rose from 3,099 to 3,350, and burglaries increased from 12,169 to 12,707. Larcenies also jumped, but not as much as car thefts, which rose from 10,179 to 11,227.
State officials attributed the drop in Florida's crime rate to stricter consequences for convicts, better prevention programs and more citizens reporting crimes. They said the news is especially significant when factoring in the added pressure that anthrax scares and terrorist attacks put on officers, who fielded an extra 12,000 calls after Sept. 11. "I suggest that's real progress by any standard," FDLE Commissioner Tim Moore said. "We're doing something right in the state of Florida. We're doing a lot right." Crime went down slightly or stayed the same in St. Petersburg, but rose in other Pinellas County cities, including Clearwater and Gulfport, which saw increases of 14 and 15 percent, respectively. Crime rose more sharply along the North Suncoast: 3.5 percent in Pasco, 4.78 percent in Citrus and 8.63 percent in Hernando, where officials suspect the increase could be linked to the opening of the Suncoast Parkway. "We've never had this type of access to the heart of our county," Hernando Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Michael Hensley said. The statewide statistics, released each year, use numbers compiled by 411 law enforcement agencies, including all 67 sheriff's offices. In the past, Gov. Jeb Bush has released the findings with much fanfare at the Capitol. But he was busy Friday refereeing among feuding legislators, so Moore announced the results at FDLE headquarters. Although the state's crime rate went down, the actual number of crimes in Florida increased slightly. Violent crimes were up by 1.8 percent and nonviolent crimes rose by 1.7 percent. Officials said those jumps reflect the 2.2 percent increase in Florida's population. Last year, a crime occurred every 35 seconds in Florida. A violent crime happened every four minutes and two seconds. "This is no time to claim the war on crime is over," said Jerry Blair, state attorney for the 3rd Judicial Circuit in the northwest part of the state. "A great deal remains to be done." Law enforcement officials attribute the drop in the state's crime rate to a robust economy and enforcement measures such as the "10-20-Life" law, which increases prison time for criminals who use guns. "We don't have the revolving-door prison system that we had before," Pinellas County Sheriff Everett Rice said. "When people are sent to prison, they're doing their time. I think it's a deterrent." Florida reported 911,292 crimes in 2001, including 867 murders, a decrease of 2.6 percent. But almost a quarter of the murders were tied to domestic violence, an increase of almost 15 percent. Violent crimes committed with firearms jumped 5.6 percent. -- Times staff writers Mike Brassfield, Chris Goffard, Susan Thurston and Jamie Jones contributed to this report.
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From the Times state desk Lucy Morgan
From the state wire
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But the news was not as good locally.
Officials with the Tampa Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Friday they could not comment on the statistics. They said they had not had a chance to review the report.
