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Overall Crime Rate Falls 9.4% In Escambia County, FDLE Says
January 3, 2021
The overall crime index in Escambia County dropped 9.4% during the first six months of 2020 compared to the previous year, according to new data just released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
While the overall crime rate decreased, crimes such as murders, rapes, robberies and vehicle thefts increased. Aggravated assaults, burglaries and larcenies decreased.
The countywide report covers crimes investigated by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department and other agencies like the Florida Highway Patrol, University of West Florida Police Department, and Pensacola State Police Department.
The number of reported murders during the period increased in Escambia County from 11 to 16, rapes from 91 to 94, robberies from 159 to 180, and motor vehicle thefts from 290 to 353. The number of aggravated assaults (including aggravated stalking) dropped from 625 to 552, burglaries decreased from 912 to 767 and larcenies dipped from 3,222 to 2,848.
During the first half of 2020, 35.6% of crimes in Escambia County were cleared, compare to 33.2% in 2019.
The report shows that crime is down across Florida, with crime volume dropping 11.7%, or 31,348 fewer reported index crimes, compared to the first six months of 2019.
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17 Responses to “Overall Crime Rate Falls 9.4% In Escambia County, FDLE Says”
The specific program – Uniform Crime Reporting (UCP) – funded by Congress only tracks seven of 33 categories of felonies in Florida and does so in an odd way only counting the “highest-ranked” crime when multiple crimes occur. The one exception to the rule is arson that is always counted because Congress mandates it. The term “clearance rate” does not mean that a crime was solved let alone that someone was convicted. Given the limitations of the UCR system, this latest report is more bad news for Escambia County because while the UCR rate went down 9.4% in the county it went down 11.7% in Florida. You don’t have to be a math major to realize that this means the gap between the county crime rate and the state crime rate likely got worse, i.e. bigger. In 2019, the overall Escambia County crime rate was 34% higher than the state rate. In the area patrolled by the Sheriff, the rate was 27% higher. The overall county rate looks worse because it includes the City of Pensacola where the 2019 crime rate was +56% higher than the state average, and 3.7 times worse than the Santa Rosa County average. As for Sheriff David Morgan, his emphasis on drama and lack of law enforcement experience may explain why his crime rate was for 12 years always “above” the state average. In contrast, when Sheriff Ron McNesby was in office his eight crime rates (2001-2009) were always “below” the state average. Why? Adding to the situation, a recent Pew Research Center found that most violent and property crime felonies are not reported and of those reported most are not solved. Law enforcement really is a game of smoke & mirrors. I saw it first hand during my Marine Corps service when serving in support of three counterdrug operations. I saw numbers falsified and different law enforcement agencies in the same task force working against each other trying to make themselves look good at the expense of the other. The Board of County Commissioners should appoint a countywide law enforcement commission to study what is going on here and make recommendations whether it be to put more Deputies on patrol or consolidate law enforcement agencies (Sheriff, PPD, UWF, PSC) into one as perhaps can be done by the Florida Legislature. Sheriff Chip Simmons is a great guy with movie star good looks and action hero moves but a mere mortal. The crime problem in Escambia County allowed to fester for 12-years may be too big for one man to solve. The BCC that sets the Sheriff’s funding level needs to wake up, take an interest in crime and do something.
@ oversight
That is called wasting tax payer money.
Thank you D. Morgan for your leadership, motivation and community programs the are effective. The citizens of this county own you a debt of gratitude for a job well done during your time as our top cop . Thank you
I don’t believe serious crime has gone down one bit.
Stump knocker is 100% correct about the fraud. The bank is the victim if they covered your loss. Most banks don’t worry about low amounts because it’s a write off. Secondly, I’m a LEO here, crime was not down at all. We handled shooting after shooting all year long. I agree with the statement about stats being fun.
The numbers just don’t add up. Rates go down every year, but they want more jail space, more money and more officers. What’s up with that?
Statistics can be fun.
Imagine just two crimes: murder and jaywalking.
Imagine 100,000 cases of jaywalking per year and ten murders. Now reduce jaywalking to 10,000 and raise murders to 100.
Total number of crimes goes from 100,010 to 10,100.
HUGE drop in crime total!!!
Silly, I know.
Some things are best only compared to themselves.
And some crimes you can’t do a thing about to make them worse or less frequent. All you can do is report them and try to persuade people to NOT commit them.
David for better people
Stumpknocker, forging my name is a crime, stealing my checks is a crime, identity theft is a crime. You must be the detective they put in charge of my case.
Stumpknocker, wrong just because your bank reimburses you does not mean your no longer a victim.
“crimes such as murders, rapes, robberies and vehicle thefts increased.”
I’d say that overshadows the other stats.
@JTV if your bank covered your loss than your no longer the victim, the bank is, and when banks won’t pursue charges the case is closed, this is a every day occurrence same with credit cards, can’t prosecute a case without their assistance.
WOW, even with shootings and MURDERS seemingly every day the Crime Rate is DOWN..???
New Sheriff, you’d best have a real Audit of the Books before signing on the line.
ECSO has gotta be using that Modern Math.
AND THE BEAT GOES ON
Crime probably was down the first six months of 2020, because of the lock downs due to Covid and people were scared of being out and about because of Covid.
What a joke,You’re kidding right ?
The almost $10,000 that was taken from me through stolen checks, was considered closed because my bank covered the loss. We knew who stole the checks, we knew who collected the stolen cash, and pizza deliveries. It was swept under the rug. No arrests, no nothing. This is how crime rates go down.
Crime has not decreased. Its just the available law enforcement officers has not increased to a point of keeping up with all the crime that is going on. Lack of reporting does not mean there has not been a crime.