Rick Patrick, Greene Publishing, Inc.
Although the number of crimes in the state of Florida dropped during the first six months of 2016, compared to the same time period in 2015, the number of crimes in Madison County rose.
According to statistics recently released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), there were a total of 298 crimes reported in Madison County from January through June of 2015. In the same time period for 2016, there were 319 crimes reported in Madison County. This amounts to a seven percent increase.
Violent crimes (murder, rape, and aggravated assault) in Madison County rose from a total of 74 during the first half of 2015 to a total of 86 in the first half of 2016. There were two murders, three rapes, and 81 aggravated assaults reported in early 2016.
Property crimes (robbery, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft) in Madison County totaled 224 in the first half of 2015, compared to 233 crimes reported in the early half of 2016. Of these 233 property crimes, two were robberies, 95 burglaries, 132 acts of larceny, and four motor vehicle thefts.
There were a total of 541 arrests in Madison County made in the first half of 2015. Of those arrests, 499 were adults and 42 were juveniles. In the first half of 2016, Madison County arrests totaled to 557. Of those arrests, 526 were adults and 31 were juveniles.
Drug offenses continue to be the leading source for arrests in Madison County. In the first half of 2015, there were 180 drug related arrests county wide. In the early half of 2016, that number dropped to 126 drug related arrests.
In the first half of 2016, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) made 300 total arrests, the Madison Police Department (MPD) made 148 arrests, the local Department of Alcohol Beverages and Tobacco made four arrests, the local Fish and Wildlife Commission made 23 arrests, and the local Florida Highway Patrol made 82 arrests.
The clearance rate, per 100 offenses, was 27.5 for the MCSO and 46.1 for the MPD during the January through June 2016 time period.