Like most of the other states in the United States of America, the level of crime, both reported and resolved, fluctuates on a yearly basis. In this article, we will take a look at the criminal statistics in Florida, and how much they have changed over the last couple of years. Overall, crime in Florida seems to have diminished significantly between 2009 and 2010, with the largest drops in crime rate occurring from robbery and forcible sodomy.
Where you can find Florida crime statistics for individual counties
There are a number of different resources that persons can use to look up crime statistics in Florida, although a couple are decidedly better than others. If you’re interested in seeing criminal records for a particular county, then we recommend the County Profiles page of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/cms/Home.aspx.
Once at this page, simply select the county whose statistics you wish to see. On the page of each county, you will find a table that summarizes the total population, total arrests, total index offenses, violent and non-violent rates, and the index rates of various crimes from 2009 and 2010. You can also click on any of the years listed on that page to view a full, detailed report of crime in that county for a particular year.
Statewide Florida crime statistics
An overview of Florida crime statistics for the year 2010 can be located at http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/cms/FSAC/Documents/Excel/offcty_index10.aspx.
2010 Murder in Florida
In 2010, there were a total of 987 murders, which was a 2.7% decline from 2009’s 1,017 murders. Of these, 669 involved firearms, 125 involved knives or other melee weapons, and 90 involves the usage of hands or another body part. The 103 remaining murders were attributed to “other,” which includes things such as forcible drowning.
2010 Sexual offenses in Florida
There were a total of 9,885 forcible sexual offenses in Florida in 2010, which was a 3.3% decline from 2009’s 10,227. Of the sex offenses in 2010, 5,369 are classified as forcible rape with a variety of different weapons, although the vast majority of rapes occurred when the offender utilized their hands, fist, or feet (4,323 total cases). During 2010, there were 1,173 cases of forcible sodomy, in which hands, fists, and feet were the predominant offensive tool of the rapist. There were also 3,343 cases of forcible fondling.
2010 Robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, and larcenies in Florida
In 2010, a total of 26,074 robberies were committed, which was a 15.6% decline from the robberies committed the year prior. Burglary also declined in 2010 by 7%, down to 169,000 from 181,658.
A total of 64,960 cases of aggravated assaults took place, a decline of 11.4% from 2009, and there were 458,179 cases of larceny during 2010, down 4.4% from 2009’s 479,282.
Domestic violence in Florida
As with other crimes in Florida, 2010 was a much better year for domestic violence than was 2009. The total number of incidences was 113,378 in 2010, down from 116,547 in 2009.
In 2009, there were a total of 191 murders, 954 forcible rapes, 270 forcible sodomies, 846 forcible fondlings, 18,299 aggravated assaults, 214 cases of aggravated stalking, and 89,435 cases of simple assault. Manslaughter saw the biggest decline in 2010, with only 19 cases in 2010, compared to 2009’s 24.
Stolen property statistics in Florida
During 2010, a total of $1,383,545,124 was stolen, of which $293,494,659 was recovered. The largest category of property theft in Florida was and remains motor vehicles, with a total of $356,206,973 stolen and only $197,374,887 recovered. Jewelry and precious metals also saw a high rate of theft, with a total of $221,071,954 worth of items being stolen, of which $11,819,290 was recovered. The last major category of property theft involved currency and bank notes, seeing a total of $119,362,472 lost, with only $2,924,609 being eventually recovered.