Findlay was a safer city to live in during 2017 than in 2016 or 2015, according to data from the Findlay Police Department.
The crime rate in 2017 fell from 2016 numbers, and was also lower than the crime rate in 2015, according to the numbers, which cover each year from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.
When calculating Findlay’s crime rate, the department uses statistics that are similar to those used by the FBI in the Uniform Crime Reports.
Police look specifically at crimes against people and crimes against property, Findlay Police Chief John Dunbar said.
Dunbar said Findlay’s crime figures correlate with national trends from the FBI. Nonviolent crimes are down across the country, he said, while some violent crimes are up slightly.
The most common crime in Findlay in 2017 was shoplifting, fraud or theft, a nonviolent offense which totaled 1,146 offenses, down 43 from 2016.
Domestic disputes followed, down 49 offenses from 2016 to 734 in 2017.
Criminal damaging and vandalism complaints also fell in 2017, down 18 incidents from 2016 to 273 in 2017. Assault complaints fell by 31 to 160 incidents in 2017.
Only two categories of crime in the data used to calculate the crime rate rose in 2017. Sex offenses rose from 91 in 2016 to 101 in 2017. Motor vehicle thefts rose from 46 in 2016 to 82 in 2017.
Drug and alcohol incidents are not included in the crime rate report because the FBI uses them in a separate report. However, these types of incidents are up in Findlay due to the opioid epidemic.
Alcohol offenses in Findlay rose slightly in 2017, from 39 offenses in 2016 to 44 in 2017. But drug offenses skyrocketed between 2016 and 2017, rising from 431 in 2016 to 560 in 2017, an increase of 129 incidents.
Courier crime reporter Eileen McClory will have more on Saturday.