PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime Watch

While Orlando's murder rate hit a record 37 by early September, killings in surrounding Orange County were down by 10 from 2005. Meanwhile, overall violent crime was on the rise. Law enforcement officials say Orlando is still safer than many parts of the state, and they point to a decrease in the overall crime index from 2004 to 2005 in the Orlando metropolitan statistical area, which covers Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola counties.