FDLE: Crime decreases on Sanibel, in unincorporated Lee
Both the city of Sanibel and unincorporated Lee County experienced a drop in crime in 2020.
This week, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced the release of its annual Uniform Crime Report, which includes statistics based on data gathered from law enforcement statewide.
According to the information, the Sanibel Police Department recorded a total of 40 crimes last year compared to 48 offenses in 2019 — a 16.7 percent decrease year-over-year. Based off a population of 100,000, the crime rate for 2020 was 584.0 — a 17.8 percent decrease over the 710.5 rate in 2019.
Covering unincorporated Lee County, which includes Captiva, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office recorded a total of 5,562 crimes last year compared to 5,868 in 2019 — a 5.2 percent decrease year-over-year. The 2020 crime rate was 1,199.4 — a 7.1 percent drop over the 1,290.6 rate in 2019.
The UCR indicates that Sanibel recorded zero murders, zero rapes and zero robberies in 2020 — the same as the previous year. Aggravated assaults decreased from three incidents in 2019 to two last year, while the number of larcenies declined from 42 incidents for the earlier year to 34 incidents in 2020.
The number of burglaries recorded for both 2019 and 2020 was three for the island, while motor vehicle thefts increased slightly last year to one incident — up from zero incidents for 2019.
The UCR indicates that the LCSO recorded 22 murders and 179 rapes in 2020, compared to nine and 191, respectively, the year before. Last year, there were 217 robberies and 949 aggravated assaults reported within unincorporated Lee, compared to 256 robberies and 780 aggravated assaults for 2019.
For the LCSO, the number of burglaries dropped from 806 to 677 in 2020, while larcenies decreased from 3,398 to 3,029 last year. However, motor vehicle thefts increased from 428 to 489 for 2020.
To view the UCR, visit www.fdle.state.fl.us/FSAC/CJAB-Home/Uniform-Crime-Report.
To reach TIFFANY REPECKI / trepecki@breezenewspapers.com, please email