Violent crime at highest level in 10 years in Indian River County, data shows
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Violent crime was on the rise in the county in 2017, reaching the highest level in 10 years, statistics released Tuesday show.
There were 3,341 reports of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft throughout the county, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's annual Uniform Crime Report. That's up 7 percent from 2016.
Of those, 457 were violent crimes, up 32 percent. Property crimes numbered 2,884, up only slightly from 2016.
"We're seeing an increase in violence nationwide. I invite anyone to explain that," said Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry. "We're certainly not exempt."
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Crime has been steadily declining in the county since the mid-1990s, even as the population has risen.
Most reported crimes were in unincorporated Indian River County, where about two-thirds of the population resides.
"We certainly know that crime continues to happen," said Maj. Eric Flowers, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. "We've targeted those areas we feel we can make the most difference in."
Crime rates, which take population into account, were highest in Vero Beach and lowest in Indian River Shores.
But Vero Beach's listed population of 16,000 doesn't capture its true size, said Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey.
"We're not a secret anymore. A lot of people do come and visit," Currey said. "The challenge is just to not rest, to continue our efforts and make Vero as safe as we can."
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There were three murders in 2017, down from four the year before. All were investigated by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office, a shift from 2016, when three of the county's four murders happened in Vero Beach.
Reports of rape rose 86 percent to 39 last year. Sheriff's Office rape investigations more than doubled.
There were 364 aggravated assaults, a 31 percent increase from 2016. That's the most since 1999. The increase was more pronounced in the county, at 54 percent.
Violent crime decreased in Vero Beach, something Currey said he was proud of.
"We try to be very proactive," he said. "We strive and take pride in clearing cases and making arrests."
Indian River Shores had no violent crime, and Fellsmere had no rapes or murders.
"We've typically been a low crime community," Touchberry said of Fellsmere.
More: See FDLE's crime reports for 2017 across the state
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Robberies increased 19 percent to 51 in 2016. The number of burglaries dipped slightly to 532. There were 163 motor vehicle thefts, about the same as 2016.
The number of larcenies — which includes pocket picking, purse snatching, shoplifting and, most common of all, thefts from motor vehicles — rose slightly to 2,189.
Such property crimes, Touchberry said, rely on people not paying attention or making reports. Fellsmere has one of the highest clearance rates for burglary in the state.
"We engage our community. We say look, if you want to have a good quality of life, you've got to help us," he said.
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With the county's population nearing 150,000, that comes out to 2,243 crimes per 100,000 people.
Law enforcement agencies are solving about 24 percent of those crimes, a clearance rate that shows slight improvement over each of the previous two years.
"It’s not great but it’s certainly something we’re working on and trying to improve every day," Flowers said. "It's unrealistic to believe you’re going to have a 100 percent clearance rate."
The Sebastian Police Department had the highest clearance rate, at 37 percent. Vero Beach and Fellsmere police solved about 26 percent of crimes. The Sheriff's Office cleared 21 percent, while Indian River Shores solved 9 percent, or one of their 11 crimes.
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Sebastian Police Chief Michelle Morris said the credit goes both to the community for reporting crimes and to the officers investigating them.
"We just really try to foster a good relationship," Morris said. "Sebastian's a great place to live."
In all of Florida, all crime dropped 4.5 percent in 2017 and violent crime declined 3.3 percent.
Total arrests dropped 2 percent statewide, but rose 9 percent in Indian River County.