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Maine overall crime rate declines for 8th consecutive year Follow Us
Question of the Day By - Associated Press - Monday, December 28, 2020
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The number of crimes reported has decreased the eighth consecutive year in Maine, even though violent crimes grew 3.1%, the state’s Department of Safety reported Monday.
All told, reported crimes dropped 6.6% in 2019, and the continuing decline “speaks volumes to the hard work of our professional law enforcement officers, our partners and, of course, the communities we serve,” Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said in a statement.
But law enforcement officials are committed to doing even better.
Ed Morin / Maine Public
In 2019, crime in Maine fell for the eighth straight year.
In a report released on Monday, the Maine Department of Public Safety says the overall crime rate declined by more than 6% last year. Since 2012, crimes have fallen by more than 56%.
Commissioner Michael Sauschuck says the decrease is due to several factors, but he says some of it could be traced back to better information sharing and collaboration across departments.
“Those things have always happened,” he says. “It’s just, I think they’re happening more and more all the time. And I think that’s impressive to see.”