As your Sheriff, keeping our community safe is my top priority. That means responding effectively when crime occurs, holding offenders accountable and preventing crime before it happens.
Since 2019, Broward County has experienced a significant decrease in crime. In areas served by the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), overall Part One crime has decreased by 23%, with violent crime down 18% and property crime down 24%. These numbers reflect meaningful progress in our public safety efforts. Behind every statistic is an individual, a family or a business, and every reduction in crime means fewer people experiencing the financial, emotional and personal impact of being victimized.
The numbers tell an important story, but they also reflect the work our public safety professionals are doing every day across the county. Reducing crime requires more than responding after an offense occurs. Our work begins before a crime occurs, with understanding what is happening in the community and using that information to guide our efforts. One of BSO’s greatest strengths is our district-based approach to policing. Our detectives know the neighborhoods they serve, and we combine that local knowledge with crime analysis to identify trends, recognize emerging issues and determine where our resources can make the greatest impact. This allows us to tailor our response to the needs of each area.
When a crime does occur, BSO detectives work behind the scenes to gather evidence, follow investigative leads, connect cases and identify those responsible. Their work helps hold offenders accountable and prevent future crimes.
Prevention and education are equally important. Many crimes are crimes of opportunity, and our deputies regularly work with residents and businesses to identify simple steps to reduce the likelihood of victimization. One of our proactive initiatives is BSO’s While You Were Sleeping program, where a deputy identifies preventable security concerns during routine patrols and leaves a notice with practical information to help address them. Other initiatives strengthening our community policing efforts include our Neighborhood Support Team (NST) and Park, Walk and Talk programs, where deputies connect with residents, address concerns and share crime prevention tips while out in the community.
Reducing crime is not the result of one program, one unit or one strategy. It requires a comprehensive approach that brings together visible patrols, proactive policing, thorough investigations, crime analysis, targeted enforcement, prevention programs and strong partnerships with the people we serve.
Our focus is simple: to ensure Broward County residents feel safe in their homes, on the streets and in the community. We are proud of the progress we have made since 2019 but recognize that public safety has no finish line. As crime trends change and new challenges emerge, our approach will continue to evolve. We will use data to guide our efforts and put resources where they can have the greatest impact, preventing crime before it happens.
For more information about BSO’s crime prevention programs or to contact your local BSO district, visit https://www.sheriff.org/le/.
Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony
Service Equals Reward
Certain Broward cities like Coconut Creek, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Plantation, Davie, Margate, Miramar, Lauderhill, Lighthouse Point, and Coral Springs maintain their police departments; however, BSO does provide communications and dispatch services to the following cities: Central Broward, Cooper City, Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Parkland, West Park, Pompano Beach, Port Everglades, Tamarac, Weston, and unincorporated West Broward.
