Released by the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office …
HOLMES COUNTY – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement released its Annual Uniform Crime Report Monday, June 24, and statistics show Holmes County as having the fourth largest decrease in crime and the second largest overall clearance rate in the state.
The report is based on a trend comparison between crimes reported during the 2018 and 2017 calendar years.
As an agency, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office saw a 32.1 percent decrease in the crime index. Overall, Holmes County saw a 30.6 percent decrease, ranking the county 4th in the state behind Gulf County (-32.1 percent), Liberty County (-30.9), and Madison County (-45.3). The statewide average was a crime rate decrease of 9 percent.
In regard to solving crimes, Holmes County had a clearance rate of 72.5 percent, ranking the county second in the state behind Union County, which had a clearance rate of 91.0 percent. As an agency, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office had a clearance rate of 68.8 percent. The statewide average was 25.3 percent.
In 2018, HCSO received more than 17,700 total calls for service. Of that number, 744 resulted in arrests, including 67 that were burglary related and 244 drug arrests.
“I am very proud of our agency and the men and women who work hard every day to reduce crime and make Holmes County a safer place to live,” said Sheriff’ Tate. “Our great working relationship with the community is one of the resources which helps make this possible. Going forward, we will continue to strive to make Holmes County a safe place to live and raise your family.”
The Annual UCR calculates both crime volume and crime rate throughout Florida. The report, including county-by-county breakdowns, can be found on FDLE’s website at http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/FSAC/UCR-Reports.aspx.
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