County crimes lowest in years

Serious crime in Leelanau County is at its lowest for the decade so far, according to the sheriff’s office’s 2024 annual report.

The total number of index crimes committed in the county last year — including criminal sexual conduct (CSC), assault, and larceny — was 132. There were 76 cases of assault, 35 cases of larceny, and 21 cases of CSC.

This was slightly lower compared to the mean for the last 10 years, which is 144.3 index crimes per year. The number of index crimes was unusually high in 2022 at 174, but it has trended downward since then, with 147 index crimes in 2023 and 132 index crimes last year.