Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) recently released their annual crime report, breaking down crime rates across the state and in each county. This annual report compares statistics from January through December of 2020 to statistics from January through December of 2019. FDLE announced that for 50 years straight, the crime rates in the State of Florida have been on the decline.
Between 2019 and 2020, reports show a crime drop of about 14.1 percent
in the year 2020. In 2019, the total number of index crimes
(murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft) was 541,328. In the year 2020, that number dropped by 76,523, bringing this year’s total index crimes to 464,805.
Please note that aggravated assault numbers include aggravated assaults and aggravated stalkings.
All index crimes, except for murder and aggravated assaults, dropped across the State of Florida. Murder rates increased by 14.7 percent. In 2019, there were 1,120 murders in Florida, but in 2020, that number rose to 1,285. Rapes dropped from 8,439 to 7,650, a decrease of 9.3 percent. Robberies dropped from 16,199 to 13,439, a decrease of 17 percent. Aggravated assaults increased from 55,333 to 60,567, an incline of 9.5 percent. Burglaries took an impressive drop in rates from 63,148 burglaries in 2019 to 51,928 in 2020, a decline of 17.8 percent. Larceny took the most drastic decline from 358,107 offenses in 2019 to 291,923 offenses in 2020, a drop of 18.5 percent. Motor vehicle theft dropped from 38,982 offenses to 38,013, a decline of 2.5 percent.
The overall crime rate for the State of Florida dropped from 2,552.4 to 2,152.3, a decline of 15.7 percent.
For Madison County specifically, law enforcement observed a 3.5 percent increase in crime. However, that statistic was calculated without reports or numbers from Madison Police Department (MPD), as MPD was unable to provide reports to FDLE for 2019 and 2020.
In 2019, Madison did not experience a single murder. However, in 2020, that zero turned into a one. Rapes in Madison County decreased from 14 rapes in 2019 to five in 2020. The annual robbery count was unchanged, with three robberies taking place in 2019 and three in 2020 as well. The increase in aggravated assaults in Madison County is the most alarming, with 94 aggravated assaults in 2019 and 119 in 2020. Burglaries in the county dropped from 71 to 46, but larceny increased from 101 to 117. Lastly, in 2019, two motor vehicles were stolen in Madison County, and in 2020, that number rose to three.
The crime rate in Madison County increased from 1,456.3 to 1,551.1, an increase of 6.5 percent. At the end of FDLE's statewide county reports, where individual statistics for different counties in the state are shown, a disclaimer is printed, stating: “Percent changes in number and rate should be interpreted with caution. In small counties with low numbers of crime, a small increase in crime can produce a large percent change.”
“As your Sheriff, I am committed to improving safety and quality of life for everyone in Madison County,” said Madison County Sheriff David Harper. “The men and women of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office are dedicated to service above self. We will maintain a proactive approach in the reduction of crime in our county, while striving to improve performance and efficiency each day. We will continue to build trust and partnerships within our community, and together, we all can make a positive difference.”
For additional reports or information, visit http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/FSAC/Uniform-Crime-Report.