St. Lucie County - Thursday December 1, 2022: The crime rate in in the unincorporated areas St. Lucie County dropped 8.8% in 2021 compared to the previous year. In addition, Despite a population increase of 3.5%, crime volume, or the number of crimes reported, dropped 5.6% for this same period.
“The hard-working men and women of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office remain steadfast in keeping our community safe through proactive initiatives and community partnerships,” said SLC Sheriff Ken Mascara. “We have built a level of trust within our community that has expanded community policing, which allows us to address crime in real time.”
Overall, crime in Florida has dropped for the 50th straight year according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). FDLE releases the Florida Uniform Crime Report (UCR) statistics twice a year. These statistics are a summary of index crimes reported to law enforcement from January 1 through December 31. The 2021 UCR report was released on November 30, 2022.
Participation in the UCR program is voluntary but highly encouraged. The report does not include all reported offenses, but it contains a defined list to gauge changes to crime conditions within a jurisdiction over time. Moving forward, FDLE will publish the UCR report annually, rather than semi-annually, to accommodate the transition to the Florida Incident-Based Reporting System (FIBRS), which collects data on an additional 56 offense categories.
“Our agency expects to transition to the new reporting system sometime next year,” said Sheriff Mascara. “This transition will provide a broader look into the crime trends in our area and allow us to better allocate resources.”
For more information about the transition from UCR to FIBRS, visit http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Regions-Divisions/Documents/Media-Packet-CJIS-Projects-November-10-2022-FINAL.aspx.