Lower crime in 2009

The deputy-per-resident ratio has decreased during the past few years, but 2009 showed a staggering decline in violent crime.

Compared to the previous year, Hernando County saw double-digit drops in sex offenses, thefts and burglaries. Those numbers were consistent with the rest of the state, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office also reported a 10 percent decrease in the number of juvenile arrests.
Sheriff Richard Nugent credited staff, introductions of such programs as "Lock It or Lose It" and advances in crime analysis.

The advent of surveillance equipment and other technologies have helped deputies track crime trends and capture serial burglars and other repeat offenders, he said.

Nugent recalled noticing a decline during the first half of last year, when he and his staff were taking "six-week snapshots" of crimes throughout the county.
"Our core crimes were trending downward," he said.
Burglaries showed one of the steepest year-over-year decreases - 17.1 percent, according to the sheriff's office.

The full annual report was submitted to FDLE. More than 400 law enforcement agencies submitted their annual reports for 2009 and the official state figures are expected to be released in the next couple months, said FDLE spokesman Mike Morrison.

The semi-annual report, which tracks statewide crime statistics from Jan. 1 to June 30, showed steep decreases in several major crime statistics. Morrison said early indications show 2009 was a good year for most cities and counties across Florida.

The timing of the crime reduction further proves there is a shortage of evidence to suggest there's a connection between high unemployment and high crime, Nugent said.

"There's just not a correlation, at least not currently," he said. "That didn't hold true in 2009."
Nugent has fought to keep his staff at the same levels year after year, but when deputies retire or resign, he has been unable to fill most of those positions in recent years.

The deputy-per-1,000-resident ratio in 2009 was at 1.2. In 2006, it was at 1.5, Nugent said.
"We've made do even though we've had to cut back," he said. "(Staff) has really stepped up to the plate."

As for the 10 percent decrease in the number of juvenile arrests, Nugent fears that trend could swing in the opposite direction now that certain anti-drug and anti-gang programs have been yanked from the local schools due to budget constraints.

"I'm afraid in the next four or five years that will go back up," Nugent said. "It could have some impact. That's our fear."

The sheriff credited some target approaches to preventing crime, including an emphasis on the Lock It or Lose It campaign.

The program reminds residents to keep their vehicle doors locked and their windows closed. Motor vehicle larcenies, in turn, decreased in 2009 by more than 25 percent, according to the sheriff's office.
Statewide, the rate of motor vehicle thefts decreased by 23.1 percent during the first half of last year, Morrison said.

Other categories showed downward trends across Florida.

Larcenies went down by 7 percent, murders by 18.8 percent, forcible sex offenses by 4.1 percent, robberies by 13 percent, aggravated assaults by 8.9 percent and burglaries by 3.9 percent, according to FDLE.