LEWISTON, Maine - Crime in Maine has decreased for the fourth consecutive year, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
Overall, crime dropped by 7 percent in 2015, though some categories of crime increased, such as rape, which jumped by nearly 5 percent.
But Cara Courchesne of the Maine Coalition on Sexual Assault says that jump is likely due to better reporting. "We definitely, in terms of people calling our crisis support line, see jumps when there are high-profile cases."
One such high-profile case is the Stanford rape case earlier this year. Courchesne says the increase in reporting is a good sign, but that the nearly 400 rapes reported last year are likely just a fraction of the true number of incidents.
