FDLE crime statistics unconvincing

Crime is down.

Oh, yeah?

Count me among those who are perplexed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's statistics released Wednesday.

FDLE said violent crimes statewide have decreased 9.7 percent and non-violent crimes decreased 7.6 percent for the first six months of this year.

In Manatee County, the decrease in crime was 14.7 percent, FDLE said.

That may reflect the inroads law enforcement has made against drugs and gangs, but the crime statistic in the forefront of most people's minds hereabouts is the 27 homicides investigated in our county so far in 2009.

And we still have three months to go.

Statewide, homicides have decreased 18 percent, but not here.

Even Sheriff Brad Steube, while pleased with FDLE statistics overall, acknowledged his constituency isn't buying them.

"I would imagine most people think we do have a lot of crime because of the homicides," he said.

Steube's got that right.