Sarasota crime rate drops 40% in two years

When Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche last briefed the City Commission on his department’s annual crime statistics, the highlight was that, for the first time since 1967, there were zero homicides committed within the city limit. 

The message was being delivered to would-be murderers and perpetrators of other serious crimes where he said, “People know that they cannot come to Sarasota and commit a crime without being caught.”

Although there were seven murders in the city in 2024, Sarasota Police caught all the perpetrators.

Last year, Troche reported, the clearance rate of SPD’s crimes against persons was 41.1% compared to the national clearance rate of 36.7%

The clearance rate of SPD’s property crimes was 28.6% compared to the national clearance rate of 13.9%.

Overall, the statistics presented to the commission during its March 17 meeting showed a continued downward trend in overall crime — a reduction of 22.2% in 2024, not including the homicides — results Troche and his command staff attributed to continued advancements in using technology.

Combined with old-fashioned community policing techniques, the decline in offenses from 2023 — which was down 16.2% from 2022 — was the largest in SPD recorded history, according to Troche.

“That's a 38% crime drop in two years,” he told commissioners before a meeting chamber filled with sworn and civilian SPD personnel. “That's an amazing stat. I can tell you that most chiefs would hope for the 3% to 5% decline, and we've had double digits numbers back to back.”

Commander of the Criminal Investigations Division Captain Jonathan Todd said although there were seven homicides, the department’s 100% clearance rate far exceeds the national average of 57.8%.

“Even more remarkable is the fact that we were able to clear those cases in an average of about 1.7 days, which is a remarkable feat. Our last unsolved homicide case was in September of 2017.”

Todd also highlighted the SPD's Operation Safe Summer, a data-driven enforcement effort targeting the uptick in using guns in committing crimes in the Newtown area. That operation netted 95 felony charges, 41 misdemeanor charges and 44 firearms seized.

For Troche, gun-related crime hits home. The product of a Chicago law enforcement family, the shooting murder of his brother when Troche was 11 years old, ignited his interest in police work. He told Commissioner Kyle Battie, whose district includes Newtown, that one key to prevention is to reach the youth of the community early.

“Throughout our operations, we always maintain data, and what the data has been telling us is the perpetrators, generally with guns, are young black males, 15 to 16 years of age," he said. "We have to reach out to the kids 10, 11, 12 and 13 (years old) and get them before they turn 15 and 16 because not everybody has been given a perfect life here. Not everybody has parents at home, not everybody has a perfect home, so we try to supplement that.”

The goal, he said, is not to arrest juveniles, but partner with the State Attorney’s Office and Department of Juvenile Justice for intervention programs through the department's Community Relations Unit. 

“CRU been going above and beyond,” Troche said of the unit. “They’ve been tutoring. They make sure the kids have done their homework. They're signing off on things for the kids. We're finding out kids need to go to summer camps. We're making sure that we find the funding so that they have something to do through the summer.”

The department has also partnered with former college national championship football coach Urban Meyer’s “Urban’s Edge” program, Troche said, which brings speakers from across the state and the country speak to the youth about public speaking, financing, de-escalation, preparing for their future and more.

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Another youth outreach initiative new in 2024 is SPD’s Police Explorers program. The first class of eight high school students train in law enforcement, build relationships and prepare for the future, whether in law enforcement or related field. The department has also deployed two community relations trucks with “loud and proud” paint schemes.

“They are very loud and proud on purpose,” said Captain Robert Armstrong. "This is interactive for kids. They're going to see these trucks and want to talk to the cops. That's why they look like that. We're raising awareness for opioid addiction, but also interacting with children.” 

Beyond crime prevention measures, the SPD is employing advancements in technology and equipment to solve crimes quickly. The department recently took delivery of a new Mobile Command Cente and its Real-Time Operations Center, which uses cameras, license plate readers, drones and other technologies to solve crimes efficiently almost as they are being committed.

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“Not too long ago, we had a homicide at an apartment complex near the Police Department,” Troche said. “We were able to put the tag and make that vehicle into the system, and then once we did that, we were able to actually see it traveling throughout the state.” 

The suspect vehicle was quicky tracked to Louisiana , where the suspect was apprehended in West Baton Rouge and taken into custody.