Sarasota County Sheriff's Office: Crime down in 2012 so far

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reports that crime is down for the first half of 2012 for major crimes.

In a press release, the Sheriff's Office reports Part I offenses in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Index, aka major crimes, decreased 24% for the first six months of 2012.

The following crimes have seen declines:
• Burglary (down 25%)
• Grand theft (down 22%)
• Aggravated assault/battery (down 21%)
• Robbery (down 14%)
• Auto theft (down 8%)

The Sheriff's Office has attributed the reductions to efforts to target prolific offenders, new county ordinances and crime-prevention partnerships with citizens.

"We will continue to concentrate our efforts on the crimes that affect residents and business owners the most to help maintain Sarasota County’s quality of life,” said Sheriff Tom Knight. “We are grateful that the County Commission and business owners recognized the need for better ordinances, and now all citizens are realizing the results.”

Contact Eddie Kirsch at [email protected].