TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — According to Sheriff Walt McNeil, The Leon County Sheriff's Office 2020 annual report shows a 35 percent decrease in crime over the last four years.
Comparing data between January and May of this year to last, he adds that murders are trending down by 33 percent, burglaries are down by 27 percent, larceny is down 6%, and motor vehicle theft is down by 3 percent.
These trends he said could be attributed to two leading factors.
"One, the ongoing collaboration between law enforcement and the community," said McNeil. "Another part of that, we don't know exactly whether these numbers will be impacted negatively or positively, but there is an impact with the respect to COVID-19, and its impacts on the availability of crime, businesses being closed."
Sheriff McNeil said he hopes that their reports will mirror trends from unincorporated areas.
The numbers Sheriff McNeil shared do not currently include data from the Tallahassee Police Department.
He added that these numbers will only be sustainable if both the community and local law enforcement take a proactive approach to fight crime.
