Violent crime rates drop but Duval edges to top in Florida murders for 2011

In sync with the rest of the state, crime rates dropped in Northeast Florida in 2011, though Duval County's murder rate edged it to the top of the state's largest counties.

The state's crime rate in 2011 dropped to the lowest since 1971, when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement began its annual accounting, the agency said in this year's release of crime statistics.

The rate fell 0.8 percent, a significantly smaller decline than in the past two years, but included an almost 4 percent drop in violent crime. Non-violent crimes of burglary and larceny bumped up statewide, but motor vehicle theft dropped. The total number of crimes dropped 0.1 percent.

Duval County's murder rate was 8.79 per 100,000 residents, down from 8.98 in 2010 but, when compared to counties of more than 500,000 people, topped the list for 2011. Duval edged Miami-Dade County, which had an 8.66 rate.

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The next closest was Orange County, which had a rate of 7.94.

Statewide, the number of murders dropped 0.2 percent.

Duval County has had the highest murder rate in large counties for all but one of the last dozen years.

There were 76 murders in the county in 2011, compared to 81 in 2010, according to the state.

Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford had not reviewed the report Monday, said Lauri-Ellen Smith, the sheriff's special assistant.

"The one number that stands out is that murder declined in Duval County, again, in 2011," a statement from the Sheriff's Office said. "In fact, declined to the lowest number of murders in 40 years."

Duval's overall crime rate went up 0.9 percent last year, after a drop of 12.2 percent the year before. Violent crimes of murder, robbery and aggravated assault were down, but rape was up. Numbers of other crimes were down, but population dropped 3.3 percent, which also factors in the rate.

Of counties surrounding Duval, Clay was the only one with an increase in the crime rate, up 4.2 percent.

Clay Sheriff Rick Beseler said the jump was due to non-violent crimes. Violent crimes numbers dropped.

"Where we ticked up a little was our theft rate," he said. A significant part of that was in thefts of metals sold for scraps, he said.

Crime rates in Baker, Nassau and St. Johns counties all continued downward trends from a year earlier. Putnam County, which had an increase in crime rate last year, also declined in 2011.

The complete 2011 Annual Uniform Crime Report, including county-by-county breakdowns, can be found on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's website at www.fdle.state.fl.us/fsac/ucr.

dana.treen@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4091