LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County no longer has the state's highest crime rate per 100,000 people, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Uniform Crime Report.
For the last five years, Leon County has made headlines for having the highest crime rate per 100,000 people across the state. That streak has now been broken, according to a report released Friday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
According to FDLE's Annual Uniform Crime Report, the county saw an overall 13.7 percent decrease in crime from 2018 to 2019. That nearly doubles the decrease the county saw from 2017 to 2018.
Last year's reported crime rate was 3,845.5. That calculation is based on population and the total number of index crimes reported per 100,000 people.
As far as index crime numbers go, 12.5 percent drop from 2018 to 2019, or roughly 1,600 less crimes committed from year to year. Index crime offenses include murders, rape, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, larceny over $50, and motor vehicle theft.
In every single category, except for murders, Leon County saw decreases in the number of reported crimes. Most notably, car thefts, larceny and burglary dropped by the hundreds in 2019 compared to 2018.
2019 saw one more murder in comparison to 2018.
Across the entire state, Bay County had the highest crime rate per 100,000 people followed by Duval County and Leon County respectively. However, the 2019 Uniform Crime Report shows a crime rate drop in Florida for a record 49th consecutive year.
The report also shows a 4.6 percent decrease of total index crimes, reflective of a 6.3 percent drop in the state's crime rate per 100,000 people.
To see the full county-by-county crime rates in the state for 2019, click here.
