According to a recent article in Brevard County's Florida Today Newspaper (Space Coast Section 4-5-2008) Brevard County's crime rate in 2007 stayed the same as it was in 2006. Unfortunately, however, the number of homicides climbed significantly, as reported by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The overall crime rate for Brevard County remained unchanged at 4034.5 crimes for every 1,000,000 people. This figure includes all offenses ranging from homicides to motor vehicle theft. In 2006 the over-all crime rate increased by approximately 5.5%. Cocoa had the highest crime rate in 2007, with four homicides, fifteen rapes, one hundred robberies and three hundred nineteen incidents of aggravated assault. The crime rate in Palm Bay went down by 13.1%. However, as noted above, the homicide rate in Brevard County increased from twenty-two in 2006 to thirty-two in 2007. Violent crimes, such as robbery and aggravated assault were also on the increase in 2007. Overall in Brevard County, Florida, the number of incidents went up 1.7% from 21,904 in 2006 to 22,275 in 2007. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the crime rate in Titusville went up 9.6%, in Cocoa Beach 5.5% and in Rockledge 9.5%. According to Commander Doug Wahler of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, "As long as there is any crime, we will not be satisfied. We are trying to deal with that small percentage of the community that commits most of the crime."
