Florida crime is down, according to the Department of Law Enforcement’s 2018 Semi-Annual Uniform Crime Report.
The FDLE tracks what are called index crimes, offenses like murder, robbery and aggravated assault, which are used to track national trends.
By tracking those index crimes, the FDLE found the state’s crime volume dropped by 8 percent in the first half of 2018.
The report also found a decrease in juvenile arrests. They were down by more than 19 percent compared to the first half of last year.
While violent crime decreased overall, statewide rape and murder rates increased slightly over 2017’s numbers.
Locally, Orange, Osceola, Brevard and Volusia County crime decreased by about 10 percent, while Seminole saw about a 3 percent decrease.
In a statement, Governor Rick Scott said, “We will never stop working to make sure every family in Florida is safe and that our law enforcement has the support they need to continue their life-saving work.”