Key West Crime Dropped Again in 2020

Crime in Key West has been dropping continuously over the past few years, and this year it’s down a whopping 28.7 percent.

The main reason for the lower rate is a drastic drop in non-violent crimes. In 2019 there were 734 non-violent crimes. The number dropped to 450 in 2020.

There were a few more violent crimes: 106 in 2020, up from 95 in 2019.

Each year the Key West Police Department reports its crime statistics to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. These statistics are compiled for the entire state by the FDLE in its Uniform Crime Reporting system.

The analysis shows that the clearance rate for the department – the rate at which crimes are solved – have increased substantially and come in well above the state average of around 25 percent. Overall, for all crimes, the Key West Police Department shows a clearance rate of 30 percent. However, the clearance rate for violent crimes is 65 percent.

“I want to commend the dedicated men and women of the Key West Police Department for an outstanding job solving crimes,” said Chief Sean Brandenburg. “Our road patrol and detectives have been particularly responsible for the outstanding clearance rate on violent crime.”

Chief Brandenburg also noted that the officers’ working closely with the community have lessened crimes of opportunity like bike thefts or car break-ins.

Among other statistics reported:

  • Aggravated assault was down from 68 in 2019 to 65 in 2020
  • Bicycle thefts dropped from 135 to 99
  • Incidents of shoplifting dropped from 135 in 2019 to 53 in 2020
  • Thefts from motor vehicles dropped from 55 to 23
  • There was one murder in 2020 and none in 2019
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