Tampa crime rate declines

Police announced Monday that the city's crime rate has plummeted 46 percent in the past six years, a decrease not seen since the 1970s.

"Tampa is a safer city today in 2009 than it was six years ago, and it's a safer city because of the men and women in the police department," Mayor Pam Iorio said.

Here's a look at the crime numbers released Monday, comparing data from 2008 with 2007:

ONE DARK SPOT

As a result of a worsening economy, police say, the number of property crimes in which people shoplifted items such as soap or toothpaste increased in late 2008 from earlier in the year. Police have begun using strategies to combat that trend, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

ABOUT THE STATISTICS

Standardized crime reports track seven key categories known as Part 1 crimes. These are murder, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larcenies, vehicle thefts, and forcible sex offenses, which include forcible rape, sodomy and fondling.

The statistics do not reflect every Part 1 crime reported in Tampa. Police follow guidelines from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI on how to compile the information. For instance, if more than one of the same crime occurs at the same time and address, such as six cars burglarized at an apartment complex, this is counted as one crime.

WHY THE DROP?

Police credited the drop in crime to the Focus on Four Plan, which aims to reduce robberies, burglaries, auto thefts and auto burglaries, in turn reducing other crimes. The plan's components include decentralizing resources, offering intelligence-led policing, using proactive and preventive policing initiatives, and partnering with the community.

In the past several years, Tampa police have shifted resources to three districts, which essentially serve as small police departments, Chief Stephen Hogue said. Each district has an analyst studying crime data and offering feedback.

Officers also have tried to get to know community members. Things that appear suspicious to citizens also would likely look suspicious to police, Hogue said.