Overall crime rate increased in Jefferson County
Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
While overall crime decreased across the state during the first six months of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, it increased in Jefferson County, according to the latest figures from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
The 2020 Semi-Annual Uniform Crime Report, which the FDLE released at the end of December, shows the crime volume dropping 11.7 percent across the state during the first six months of 2020, compared with the first six months of 2019.
The 11.7 percent decrease translates into 31,348 fewer reported index crimes, of which there are seven.
These seven index crimes are murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.
The FDLE figures show that Jefferson County had 187 total index crimes during the first six months of 2020, compared with 163 during the first six months of 2019, representing a 14.7 percent increase.
If the figures for the city and county are separated, however, the county actually shows a decrease of 2.4 percent in the crime rate, while the city shows an increase of 67.5 percent.
The stats also show that the community in general saw an uptick in aggravated assaults, burglaries and larcenies during the six-month period.
A breakdown of the 187 index crimes in the first six months of 2020 shows zero murders, three rapes, zero robberies, 53 aggravated assaults, 43 burglaries, 79 larcenies, and nine motor vehicle thefts.
By comparison, the 163 index crimes during the first six months of 2019 break down into zero murders, one rape, three robberies, 39 aggravated assaults, 54 burglaries, 59 larcenies and seven motor vehicle thefts.
A further breakdown of the three index crimes that saw increases in 2020, versus 2019, shows that 52 of the 53 aggravated assaults occurred in the county, versus one in the city; 26 of the 43 burglaries occurred in the county, versus 17 in the city; and 47 of the 79 larcenies occurred in the city, with the other 32 taking place in the county.
Sheriff Mac McNeill noted the drop in overall burglaries and even larcenies, at least in the county. As for the increase in aggravated assaults in the county, he ventured that the increase could possibly be related to the pandemic.
“People are spending a greater amount of time together as a number are working from home or could have lost their employment,” McNeill emailed. “This along with the possible economic impact and the change in what many feel are their ‘normal’ lives could certainly have an effect on those numbers.”
Overall, the local law enforcement agencies had a crime clearance rate of 39.6 percent per 100 offenses during the reported period, versus 38.7 percent for 2019.
Broken down by departments, however, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) had a clearance rate of 44.2 percent, and the Monticello Police Department (MPD) had a 31.3 percent clearance rate.
The clearance rate refers to the number of crimes that are cleared, meaning that they result in charges and arrest, as compared with the total crimes committed.
The data shows 171 arrests in Jefferson County during the first six months of 2020, 93 of them attributed to the JCSO, 33 to the MPD, and the remainder to state law enforcement agencies, such as the Florida Highway Patrol.
Of the 93 arrests made by the JCSO, 89 were adults and four were juveniles. The arrests for index crime consisted of one arrest for murder, one for robbery, 10 for aggravated assault, six for burglary and two for larceny.
Other arrest attributed to the JCSO for non-index crimes included 25 for drug possession or sale, five for DUI, nine for gambling and 19 for miscellaneous offenses.
Of the 33 arrests attributed to the MPD in the first six months of 2020, the data shows that 29 were adults and four were juveniles. The arrest for index crimes consisted of one arrest for rape, one for aggravated assault, seven for burglary, four for larceny, and one for motor vehicle theft.
In the non-index crime category, the MPD is credited with a total of 19 arrests, three of them for simple assault, and 16 for miscellaneous offenses.
In terms of the state, Florida had 235,801 index crimes during the first six months of 2020, compared with 267,149 during the same period in 2019, representing an 11.7 percent decline. The 235,801 index crimes break down into 40,421 violent crimes and 195,380 property crimes.
All told, the state had 595 murders, 3,821 rapes, 6,872 robberies, 29,133 aggravated assaults, 27,001 burglaries, 148,658 larcenies, and 19,721 motorcar thefts.
Statewide, there were 265,431 arrests during the first six months of 2020, which was 26.2 percent less than the 359,439 arrested during the same period in 2019.
In terms of property value, $615,064,597 worth of property was stolen during the six-month period, of which $205,003,973 was recovered.