Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight is pleased to report that crime is down 10 percent in the first half of 2013 and he credits proactive policing, actionable intelligence on prolific offenders and crime prevention partnerships with the community for the reduction.
Major crimes, known as Part 1 Offenses in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Index, decreased 13 percent from January to June, and violent crime is down 10 percent, due in part to declines in the following categories:
•Murder down 75%
•Burglary down 21%
•Grand Theft down 11%
•Robbery down 28%
•Auto Theft down 14%
“The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is committed to maintaining the quality of life our citizens expect and ensuring Sarasota County remains a premier place to live, work and visit,” said Sheriff Knight. “Agency-wide implementation of our Intelligence 2 Action program helps us target the biggest problems in our community and focus on those who repeatedly commit these crimes.”
The decrease for the first six months of 2013 follows an overall decline of more than 16 percent in 2012 and a 21 percent drop in crime since Sheriff Knight took office in 2009.