Crime rates in Collier County remain lower than neighboring counties

A report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows overall crime in Collier County is down.

Using that data, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office touted itself as the safest metropolitan county in Florida in a Facebook post.

But a closer look at the latest data shows the most violent crimes have actually slightly increased.

Collier County saw 4,655 arrests between January and June 2017, the report showed. That is 129 fewer than the 4,784 arrests made during the same time in 2016.

The numbers seem to tell a different story when you break down the data by crime. To view the 210-page report by county, click here. 

The number of murders in the first six months hit four up from two in 2016, the report showed. There were 19 cases of rape in the first half of 2017 compared to 11 in 2016.

The only crimes that saw a decrease are larceny, embezzlement, stolen property, non-forcible sex crimes and liquor law violations, the report showed.

The sheriff’s office says despite the increases, the numbers remain lower than neighboring counties.

“I think that we’re very safe here. I mean, you’re going to get that no matter what town you live in, you’re going to come across crime,” Collier County resident Brenda Carlson said.

The sheriff’s office credits Collier County residents for keeping the community safe by reporting suspicious activity.

As an area that is highly dependent on tourism, low crime rates are a selling point.

“People that come here as a tourist, may be the next entrepreneur that comes here to raise their family or to start a business,” said Ed Caum, Convention Visitors Bureau spokesman said.