INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – After notching a 5.8 decrease in crimes in Indian River County from 2009 compared to the year before, Sheriff Deryl Loar said Thursday he is worried expected budget cuts could hurt the progress his department is making.”We had a 6 percent decrease in crime,” Loar told the County Commissioners. “We have got to maintain that.” Loar was on hand for a budget workshop in which county commissioners heard the grim news that the fiscal 2010-2011 budget is expected to fall about 14.4 million short of projected revenue. Indian River County Administrator Joe Baird said he expects most agencies within the county budget to face a 10 percent cut from what they received this year.The Sheriff’s office wants to build on the drop in crime as released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which compiles the statistics statewide.The FDLE crime statistics for Indian River County were as follows:Category……………….2008………………2009Murder…………….. ……..4……………………7Rape……………………….39…………………16Robbery………………….102…………………80Aggravated Assault…….329……………….347Burglary…………………1088………………1034Larceny………………….3045………………2849Motor Vehicle Theft…….152………………..151Total……………………..4759……………….4484
