Budgets are down for law enforcement, and so is the crime rate. New statewide numbers reflect a decrease in personal crimes, such as robbery, assault, and murder. That may be a dilemma for Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, fighting a running battle for more money with the county commission. This week's new numbers may not tell the whole story though.
Law enforcement agencies everywhere are coping with shrinking budgets, and cutting resources doesn't make fighting crime any easier. The numbers show crime is down even with limited resources. This may be because the highest profile issue hitting Florida now, isn't in the report.
More Oxycodone is distributed illegally in Florida that in all other states combined. Sheriff Darnell says while the limited resources may not have had an impact on the numbers shown here, it will hurt law enforcement when dealing with the prescription pill epidemic.