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Crime rates are down, but is crime?

The FDLE says current crime rates are the lowest in 35 years, but some local officials say that's not the whole story.

By ASHLEE CLARK
Published July 13, 2006

Law enforcement officers agree that the numbers from the recent state crime report are accurate.

But some say the statistics are similar to fluctuating weight or daily temperature changes, in that they're measurements that should be interpreted in a long-term context.

Overall, rates of serious crimes in Pinellas County decreased from 2004 to 2005, according to the latest report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that was released this week.

Pinellas County cities' figures reflect the decreasing crime trend throughout Florida. From the county Sheriff's Office, the serious-crime rate decreased by 4.7 percent to 3,098.6 incidents per 100,000 residents.

The serious-crime rate includes crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.

Sheriff Jim Coats attributed the decline to adequate staffing and the department's taking advantage of information systems and technology to stay abreast of crime trends.

Some smaller cities in Pinellas saw a rise in certain areas of the report.

The Sheriff's Office, Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Dunedin, Oldsmar, Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs faced greater numbers of aggravated assaults than in the previous year.

The crime rates in Belleair and Dunedin also increased by 92.1 percent and 13.0 percent, respectively, since 2004. For Belleair, that meant a jump from 31 crimes in 2004 to 60 in 2005. In Dunedin, there were 1,204 crimes, up from 1,060 in 2004.

Coats said the increases may be the result of annexation and population growth in the areas.

Largo police Chief Lester Aradi likened the measuring of crime rates with weighing yourself from day to day.

"It can fluctuate up and down, but it's really the long-term results that are important," Aradi said.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, these are the lowest crime rates in Florida in the past 35 years.

The decline is good, but it doesn't necessarily mean society is safer, Aradi said.

"We've just been very aggressive in the past 30 to 35 years at locking up the most hard-core criminals," he said.

He said he was happy with Largo's numbers, which showed a 9 percent decrease in the overall crime rate, despite population growth in the city.

"It's the first measure of the direction that you're headed, but it's not the sole measure," he said. "You have to look at different factors."

Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor also cautioned against putting "too much stock in stark, unadorned numbers" from the report. Clearwater's overall crime rate didn't change from 2004 to 2005. He said the statistics are more of a tool for the department.

"Crime is much too complex to capture and explain without deep context," he said.

Ashlee Clark can be reached at 445-4158 or aclark@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 13, 2006, 00:12:46]