According to figures from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, violent crimes like murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault have been decreasing in frequency every year since 1998. In the 20-year period between 1998 and 2018, only 3 years saw a positive increase in violent crime: 2006, 2007, and 2015. Those years saw extremely small increases, whereas most years saw significant decreases.
The absolute number of murders has largely remained the same since 1998, hovering between 900 and 1,100 in murders on an annual basis in Florida. However, in that same period, the population of our state increased by 5 million—which means there are far fewer murders per capita than any year on record.
The same is true for rape: while the population has increased, the number of rape cases has largely remained the same for 20 years. The number of aggravated assaults has actually gone down by 30,000—representing a massive decrease in both rate of occurrence and actual incidents.
As a result, the overall violent crime rate per 100,000 people has fallen from 906.1 (1998) to 393 (2018). That’s a 56 percent decrease in violent crime over time.
Arrest Rates Not Lowering at Same Rate
With the violent crime rate lowering so drastically between 1998 and 2018, you’d expect the arrest rate to drop by the same amount. After all, if there’s less crime occurring, the rate of arrest should also decrease. However, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the rate of arrest has only decreased by 49 percent over the same period.
It’s a seemingly small difference, but with the population increase, that’s thousands upon thousands of arrests making up a larger share of the alleged crimes occurring in Florida. As a result, there’s a higher likelihood of wrongful arrest, evidence mishandling, and inflated charges.
Florida is safer than ever. If you’ve been arrested for a violent crime, you deserve a defense team that’s resolved thousands of serious cases in the favor of the accused. Our Fort Lauderdale violent crime defense firm has the trial experience and relationships to fight for the best possible result on your behalf.
Call (954) 543-1788 today for a free case consultation. Let’s discuss your options.