Although the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has not publicly released their Major Index Crimes report for the state, preliminary information indicates crime in the areas patrolled by the Sheriff’s Office went down in 2014 by 5.9% over the previous year.
Sheriff Rick Ramsay attributes the lower rate of crime to the hard work of his deputies and the close partnership his agency has with the community.
“I believe the hard work of our deputies, and the close working relationship we have with the community we serve is responsible for the crime rate continuing to decrease year by year,” he said. “I think we are on the right track with our community initiatives and there is no reason why this downward trend in crime cannot continue into the future if we all work hard together.”
Preliminary information also shows the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office saw crime clearance rates go up as well. The clearance rate for crime in Monroe County increased from 29.7% in 2013 to 29.8% in 2014.
There are two ways to clear a case: by arrest, or "cleared by exception", which means an offender has been identified but there is something beyond the agency's control which keeps that offender from being arrested. An example would be the offender is dead, extradition is denied, or the case involves a juvenile offender who cannot be charged for some reason.
While this information is preliminary and has not officially been released to the public, it shows the following numbers for specific Major Index Crimes in Monroe County:
•Total Index crimes went down, from 1,708 in 2013 to 1,607 om 2014
•Murder decreased from 2 in 2013 to 1 in 2014
•Forcible Sex Offenses decreased from 23 in 2013 to 17 in 2014
•Aggravated Assaults decreased from 172 in 2013 to 149
•Burglaries decreased from 302 to 257
•Larceny (which includes all types of theft related property crimes) went down from 1,144 to 1,102
•Motor Vehicle Theft increased by from 50 to 60
Sheriff Rick Ramsay attributes the lower rate of crime to the hard work of his deputies and the close partnership his agency has with the community.
“I believe the hard work of our deputies, and the close working relationship we have with the community we serve is responsible for the crime rate continuing to decrease year by year,” he said. “I think we are on the right track with our community initiatives and there is no reason why this downward trend in crime cannot continue into the future if we all work hard together.”
Preliminary information also shows the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office saw crime clearance rates go up as well. The clearance rate for crime in Monroe County increased from 29.7% in 2013 to 29.8% in 2014.
There are two ways to clear a case: by arrest, or "cleared by exception", which means an offender has been identified but there is something beyond the agency's control which keeps that offender from being arrested. An example would be the offender is dead, extradition is denied, or the case involves a juvenile offender who cannot be charged for some reason.
While this information is preliminary and has not officially been released to the public, it shows the following numbers for specific Major Index Crimes in Monroe County:
•Total Index crimes went down, from 1,708 in 2013 to 1,607 om 2014
•Murder decreased from 2 in 2013 to 1 in 2014
•Forcible Sex Offenses decreased from 23 in 2013 to 17 in 2014
•Aggravated Assaults decreased from 172 in 2013 to 149
•Burglaries decreased from 302 to 257
•Larceny (which includes all types of theft related property crimes) went down from 1,144 to 1,102
•Motor Vehicle Theft increased by from 50 to 60