TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  - Despite a slumping economy and more than 1.1 million residents out of work, crime is decreasing in Florida. Gov. Charlie Crist and state law enforcement authorities reported Wednesday that crime declined 6.4 percent in 2009 and that violent crime was down 10 percent compared to 2008.

But there were still more than 1 million arrests and 1,000 murders. The number of reported domestic violence offenses increased 3 percent, a possible reflection of the stress a difficult economy puts on families.

Spouses and cohabitants accounted for over half of the victims of domestic violence crimes. More than one-fifth of the 1,017 murders in Florida resulted from domestic violence. Murder overall decreased by 12.9 percent in 2009.