Staff Writer

Osceola County had an overall 3.3 percent reduction in major crimes reported in 2009, the second year in a row county law enforcement agencies reported a downward trend, according to statistics released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement last week.

The city of St. Cloud reported the biggest percentage decrease in major crimes, defined by the FDLE as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. The city reported 12.2 percent fewer such crimes in 2009 than the previous year.

“We’re very proud of the fact that the officers and the department were able to push crime down by over 12 percent,” St. Cloud’s new Police Chief Pete Gauntlett said.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office also reported a 5.1 percent decrease in major crimes among the unincorporated parts of the county.

“We work hard to stay ahead of emerging crime trends by increasing our patrols, making arrests, solving crimes, implementing special operations and getting citizens involved,” Sheriff Bob Hansell stated in an e-mail to the News-Gazette.

The number of major crimes in the city of Kissimmee increased 3.7 percent compared to 2008. The increase could be credited in a large part to a rise in burglary and larceny, which increased 17.5 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively, according to the statistics.

Apart from the local trends, last year marked the lowest crime rate in 39 years reported in the state of Florida.

Burglaries within the city of Kissimmee increased to 877 last year, slightly less than the 886 high reported in 2007. Larceny, or theft, in the city had a lower percentage increase – to 1,892. The most recent high in that category, by far the most prevalent category of crime throughout the county, came in 2003 with a reported 2,179 thefts.

“Victim-assisted crimes are the most prevalent contributor to the increase in these crimes in the city of Kissimmee,” department spokesman Stacie Miller stated in an e-mail. “It is very important for individuals who reside or travel within the city of Kissimmee to remember to practice their crime prevention skills in order to lessen their chances of becoming a victim of crime.”

The city of Kissimmee reported decreases in robbery, aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft.

The county Sheriff’s Office reported decreases in all major categories, including a 10.8 percent decrease in burglary and a 24 percent decrease in robbery. Aggravated assault saw a 31.7 percent increase, from 624 reported cases in 2008 to 822 in 2009.

“Typically, aggravated assaults are persons crimes which occur spontaneously and are difficult to predict or prevent,” Hansell stated.

Major crime categories in St. Cloud saw small changes in numbers. Robberies increased from 17 to 22 in 2009 compared to the previous year. Only one more burglary was reported in 2009 than the 266 reported in 2008. The 612 reported larceny cases was a 1.9 percent decrease from 2008’s numbers, while aggravated assault decreased from 172 in 2008 to 123 reported last year.

“I can tell you a concern we have in St. Cloud right now as far as burglaries are concerned are the youth – or juvenile-related crimes,” Gauntlett said. “That’s always a challenge trying to combat youth-related crimes.”

All agencies attributed decreases in crime to a proactive monitoring of crime trends and an increase of enforcement to specific neighborhoods where problems were identified.

“By working together, we have taken a proactive and progressive approach to public safety,” Hansell stated. “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.”

On average, law enforcement within the county cleared, or solved, about a third of the major crimes reported in their respective jurisdictions. The Sheriff’s Office had the highest clearance rate at 34.6 percent. The St. Cloud Police Department cleared 31.3 percent and the Kissimmee Police Department cleared 29.9 percent.

“The investigative clearance rate can demonstrate the success of agencies,” Gauntlett said. “A very good clearance rate overall, it pays in the long run. We’re catching them (criminals) and keeping them in jail.”

A total of 11 murders were reported in the county last year, four within the city of Kissimmee and seven in unincorporated areas. Reported rapes decreased from 51 in 2008 to 44 reported last year. Motor vehicle theft decreased 26 percent in 2009, from 644 reported in 2008 to 475.