While Florida overall showed a sizable drop in violent crime last year, most cities patrolled by the Broward sheriff’s office reported just the opposite, reports the Miami Herald. The crime rate in all but two cities rose between 3 and 64 percent. The sheriff’s office said the surge doesn’t indicate a crime wave. “We have anticipated an uptick because of the change in the way that we classify crimes, so that’s not too surprising,” said spokesman Jim Leljedal. “But we do believe that the streets of Broward County are safer than they were five, 10 or 20 years ago.”
Statewide, statistics show crime at a 34-year low, or a decrease of 6 percent from 2003. The Broward increase comes more than a year after the agency admitted that deputies commonly downgraded crimes, or “cooked their books” by reclassifying more serious offenses as minor calls. The process kept crime rates artificially low, a Herald investigation showed. One city in Broward, Hollywood, did report a decrease. Hollywood police Capt. Tony Rode credited the crime drop to the hard work of its police force and community involvement. “Third, let’s be honest,” he said. “A little bit of luck always helps.”