The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s crime statistics for counties and cities showed an impressive decrease in crime and an increase in the clearance rate for crimes for the Sheriff’s Office for the 2018 calendar year.
Specifically, overall crime is down by 16.3 percent with 1,206 overall crimes being reported in 2017 and 1,010 reported in 2018. Two of the biggest drops were aggravated assault — which dropped from 160 in 2017 to 137 in 2018 — and larceny. There were 817 reported larcenies in 2017 and 689 in 2018.
And the Sheriff’s Office saw a significant increase in the number of cases cleared. In 2017, the clearance rate for crimes was 31 percent. That figure jumped to 38.6 percent for 2018. Statistics published on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website show that state average for clearance rates to be about 23.4 percent for 2017, so the Sheriff’s Office’s clearance rate is significantly higher than the 2017 state average.
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 that the offender is dead, extradition from another jurisdiction is denied, or the case involves a juvenile offender who cannot be charged for some reason.
“I am very happy to see such positive numbers,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “I am also happy to see our agency is clearing more cases than we ever have. Our efforts to make our community more safe is having a visible effect on crime. It is my continued belief that our policy which makes community policing our guiding philosophy is having an impact on crime. I know I say it all the time, but it’s true — we can’t do it alone. These improved figures are not only a testament to the hark work put in the men and women of the Sheriff’s Offices, but to all of you — the businesses, community watch leaders and residents who extend us a helping hand.”
For more information on the FDLE’s crime statistics, go to www.fdle.state.fl.us/FSAC/UCR-Reports.aspx