Crime dropped by 3.1 percent in Collier County in 2015,
according to preliminary numbers the Collier County Sheriff’s Office has
submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The 5,137 Part 1 crimes reported in unincorporated Collier
County and Everglades City in 2015 represent a reduction of 163 from the 5,300
crimes that were reported in 2014.
“Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of the Collier
County Sheriff’s Office and the partnership of our community, we continue to be
one of the safest counties in the state of Florida,” said Sheriff Kevin
Rambosk.
The statistics represent the categories of homicide, sexual
assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle
theft.
Larcenies dropped 9.5 percent from 3,366 in 2014 to 3,045 in
2015; motor vehicle thefts decreased 1.2 percent from 259 to 256; and homicides
dropped by half, decreasing from four to two.
Categories showing an increase include sexual assault, which rose from 117 to 139; robbery, which saw an uptick from 155 to 163; aggravated assault, which increased from 601 to 685; and burglaries rose from 798 to 847.
Here are some of the ways citizens can help deputies drive
down crime:
* Lock your car and keep valuables out of view
* Call 239.252.0700 to schedule a home or business security survey by a CCSO Crime Prevention specialist
* Report unusual activity to law enforcement
* Start or join a Neighborhood Watch program
* Mentor a child
* Be alert and aware of your surroundings
* Join one of CCSO’s Community Safety Teams to help address code enforcement and other problems at the neighborhood level
* Protect personal information like your Social Security number, computer passwords and banking information
* When online, don’t chat with strangers or respond to their e-mails
