Florida’s crime rate continues to drop and it’s even better news in South Florida
Crime in Palm Beach County, state falls substantially, FDLE - Palm Beach Post
Excerpt: Crime was down nearly 13 percent in Palm Beach County during the first six months of 2018, mirroring a statewide trend, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Murders, robberies, aggravated assaults, motor-vehicle thefts, and burglaries were all down in the county compared to the first six months of 2017. Rapes were up slightly.
Bottom Line: The FDLE crime report was full of great news, especially in South Florida. Before diving into the newer and improved crime news from the 1st half of 2018, it’s important to remember where we started the year. You might recall that crime dropped to a 47 year low in Florida in 2017. So, when we’re talking about further declines in 2018, it means declines off of the lowest crime levels we’ve seen in Florida since 1970.
This new report highlighted an 8% decline in statewide crime. Furthermore, in South Florida, we saw a 13% decline in Broward, 9% decline in Miami-Dade and a 13% decline in Palm Beach.
It’s encouraging to see South Florida crime rates declining faster than the state average as well. As is often the case, the larger the county, the higher the crime rate. That still remains the case and is the less positive news here. Miami-Dade still has the highest crime rate with Broward second and Palm Beach County fourth state-wide. Progress is progress though, and the trend is outstanding.
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