By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Crime is slightly down overall in Osceola County for the first half of 2012, according to semi-annual crime statistics released Thursday from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office reported a decrease of 3 percent in their crime index from January to June 2012 compared to the same time frame in 2011, according to the report, while St. Cloud reported no percentage change for the same time period.

“Law enforcement working together with the community creates a partnership that results in a safer Osceola County,” Sheriff Bob Hansell said. “The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office has taken a proactive and progressive approach to public safety.  Intelligence driven policing, tactical and thorough responses from patrol, crime analysis and intelligence information, aggressive investigation techniques and working with the community to report suspicious activity and educate citizens on crime prevention are all factors that have led to the decline.”

Kissimmee experienced the only uptick in the county, reporting a 1.5 percent increase in crime from January to June 2012, with 1,894 incidents reported, compared to the same time period in 2011.

Kissimmee Police Chief Lee Massie, who was hired Oct. 1, attributed the increase to an 84 percent hike in motor vehicle parts theft and grand theft auto contributing 21 percent to the crime index.

“I can’t speak to how we got to these numbers but there’s a trend going on and I’m a big proponent on the use of analysis,” he said.

Massie plans to zero in on where the concentration of these crimes are occurring, following up with individuals in those areas known for these types of crimes and a take a “pro-active approach.”

He wants to involve the community to get them to lock their cars, keep valuables out of sight and report suspicious person through the department’s See It, Say It program.

“I’m big on an intelligence-led, pro-active approach,” Massie said, adding the city has started seeing a decrease in auto thefts recently with 15 cases in August to nine reported in September. “it’s much better to prevent these types of crimes.”

To keep the downward momentum going, Massie plans to kickoff a high-profile holiday detail with highly visible, uniformed police officers patrolling “traditionally target-rich environments” such as the parking lots of Loop West, Walmart, Target and Best Buy.

He looks to partner with St. Cloud police and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to institute an overall approach to keeping car burglaries and thefts at a minimum.

“We’re all trying to do the same thing,” Massie said. “I’m very big on cooperative, collaboration and information sharing.”

St. Cloud Police Chief Pete Gauntlett said his agency is “right on track” for this point in the year and plans to partner with the community to move the crime index downward.

“As an agency, we collectively continue to focus on our community needs, crime trends and patterns; while utilizing crime analysis reports, community and intelligence-led policing to determine proactive and direct patrol for the areas in need,” Gauntlett said. “Furthermore, we will continue to dedicating our resources to partnerships with our neighborhood watch groups, local businesses and our citizens, while maintaining the safety of everyone, and continue to work towards the reduction of crime within the city of St. Cloud for years to come”.

Hansell’s agency was the only one in Osceola County to report any murders this year, with five that occurred the first half of 2012. Those cases include the woman gunned down in her backyard near Lake Lizzie in March after stumbling upon an alleged drug robbery and the case of Kevin Satterfield, who was found guilty in October of murdering his wife and daughter’s boyfriend inside their Buenaventura Lakes home in May.

Statewide, crime was down 3.8 percent for the first six months of 2012 compared with the same time period in 2011.

This continues the downward trend over the last five years where Florida’s crime index has decreased.

From a high of 434,563 incidents reported statewide for the first half of 2009, the rate has dropped to 359,051 cases for the same time frame of 2012.

Governor Rick Scott, accompanied by FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey, announced the number Thursday in Scott’s hometown of Tampa.

“As a father and grandfather, the safety of Florida families is a top priority for our administration. The great news is we are winning the fight against crime,” Scott said. “I am committed to making Florida the safest place in the world to pursue a career and raise a family.”

Bailey, along with Scott, praised the state’s policing agencies and their employees for the drop in crime.

“I thank Florida’s law enforcement officers for their hard work to keep our citizens and visitors safe,” he said.