Wakulla UCR Shows a 3 Year Reduction in Crimes

Sheriff Jared F. Miller is pleased to announce that for the past three years, there has been a reduction in crimes committed in Wakulla County, and a consistent upward trajectory in solving those crimes, according to the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) published by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The UCR tracks the number of Index Crimes committed in each county, the clearance rate, and the number of arrests made. Index Crimes include the crimes of Murder, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny, and Motor Vehicle Theft. The clearance rate is the rate at which agencies solve those crimes.

The clearance rate for solving Index Crimes in Wakulla County has risen from 27.5% in 2016, to 32% in 2017 (at mid-year 2017 clearance rate was 40.3%, but there were three jail escapees in November 2017 which diverted Detective resources), to 63.1% in 2018, to 63.7% in 2019. Today, the clearance rate at the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office (SO) is the third highest among the 67 Sheriff’s Offices in Florida, and higher than all 10 of the other comparatively sized counties. Statewide, the average clearance rate was 25.7% in 2019. The Wakulla County SO has more than tripled the number of arrests made since 2016 for Index Crimes committed in Wakulla County, even though the number of Index Crimes committed has remained essentially the same. Arrests for Index Crimes totaled 69 in 2016; 155 in 2017; 187 in 2018, and 220 in 2019. In Wakulla County, crime has been reduced below 2016 levels, even though the population went from 31,599 in 2016 to 32,976 in 2019. Wakulla County had a 2016 Index Crime rate of 1,759.5 per 100,000 population, compared to a 2019 Index Crime rate of 1,755.8 per 100,000 population.

Index Crimes being solved at such an impressive rate in Wakulla County is a testament to hard work of the Detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) who investigate them and Crime Scene Technicians; a supportive community; and to a well-orchestrated plan. After Sheriff Miller took office on January 3, 2017, a Five-Year Strategic Plan was developed for the CID, and CID personnel have executed the plan extremely well. The CID Five-Year Strategic Plan identified the crime threats facing Wakulla County and articulated evidence-based and intelligence-based investigative strategies to combat those crime threats. The three primary crime threats facing Wakulla County are (1) Index Crimes; (2) Opiate, Methamphetamine and Cocaine Distribution and Abuse; and (3) Sexual Offenders, Sexual Predators, and Career Offenders, making those the three primary areas of emphasis by Detectives of the CID. Through Performance Management Assessments conducted annually, the sufficiency of the investigative strategies are continuously assessed, as well as the level at which results are achieved. CID Detectives and other CID personnel are held accountable for obtaining results based on accurate and quantifiable measures of enforcement effectiveness, as well as their implementation of the investigative strategies articulated in the CID Five-Year Strategic Plan. A special thanks goes out to Wakulla County citizens who have supported the efforts of the Wakulla County SO and made these amazing results possible.