The National Incident-Based Reporting System for crime statistics collected by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement showed a decrease in crime last year for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Specifically, overall crime was down by 13% with 1,665 overall crimes being reported in 2023 and 1,448 reported in 2024. Some of the significant drops included aggravated assault — which dropped from 134 in 2023 to 93 in 2024 — and simple battery. There were 389 reported batteries in 2023 and 323 in 2024. There was also a decrease in narcotics violations — from 309 in 2023 to 260 in 2024.
“This overall decrease in crime is a strong testament to the hard work put in by the men and women of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, our strong working relationships with all law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels, and those irreplaceable community partnerships with our amazing citizens who I consider an extension of the sheriff’s office and without whom none of this would be possible,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay.
For more information on crime data go to www.fdle.state.fl.us.
Key West
A breakdown of crime statistics in Key West for 2024 shows that violent crime is down 25% compared to the previous year. Overall, the crime rate dropped 10.5% from 2023.
The Key West Police Department said it is particularly proud of an overall 53.3% clearance rate. The clearance rate for the department – the rate at which crimes are solved – has increased substantially and is well above the state average of around 25%.
The clearance rate for violent crimes in 2024 was 73%. During 2024, there were 412 violent crimes and 301 of them were cleared, either by arrest or exceptionally cleared, which occurs when victims decline to press charges, prosecutors decline to pursue a conviction or the suspect dies. Basically, exceptionally cleared means that a case went away through no fault or decision of the police.
Each year the Key West Police Department reports its crime statistics to the state and national databases called NIBRS/FIBRS. These national and statewide reporting systems were launched in 2021 and allow communities across the nation to track and compare crime data.
“I want to commend the dedicated men and women of the Key West Police Department for an outstanding job solving crimes,” said Chief Sean Brandenburg. “Our relationship with the community has helped build a solid bond between the officers and residents. This community policing plays a huge role in our continuing success in solving crime on the island.”
