The Maine Department of Public Safety said crime dropped 9.1 percent last year, the biggest drop in 20 years. Public Safety Commissioner John Morris, who was joined by Governor Paul LePage at a press conference, told reporters Tuesday that every crime category except aggravated assaults dropped in 2013. Aggravated assaults increased more than 17 percent. Overall, the statistics showed that crime in Maine's rural areas dropped more, nearly 12 percent, compared with urban areas that had a drop of nearly 7 percent. The rate for violent crime continued to be 1 offense per 1,000 residents. It was the biggest drop in crime since the rate of 9.4 percent in 1993.