Polk County Crime Drops 24.6% in First Half of 2025, PCSO Reports

iSkyNews and Media July 21, 2025

Staff Reporter | iSkyNews.com (ISC News)

Published July 21st, 2025

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Polk County, FL Crime in the Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) jurisdiction saw a sharp decline during the first six months of 2025, according to newly released Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

Between January and June, there were 578 fewer reported crimes compared to the same period in 2024—a 24.6% drop, from 2,353 incidents in 2024 to 1,775 in 2025.

📉 All Major Crime Categories Showed Declines Reported decreases included:

Violent crime down 21.9%
Non-violent/property crime down 25.6%
Reductions in all seven tracked categories: homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larcenies, and motor vehicle thefts

🏙️ Jurisdiction Includes Multiple Cities PCSO’s primary enforcement area spans unincorporated Polk County as well as cities under contract: Polk City, Frostproof, Eagle Lake, Fort Meade, Dundee, and Mulberry.

👮 Sheriff Grady Judd Attributes Decline to Proactive Policing

“Despite an increase in population, crime continues to decline in unincorporated Polk County and our contract cities,” said Sheriff Judd. “We attribute our success to our proactive crime-fighting strategies, frequent probation checks, and holding criminals accountable, as well as our community partnerships and over 3,000 volunteers. We will continue to work proactively and effectively to keep our neighborhoods safe.”

📊 The data underscores PCSO’s ongoing efforts to reduce crime through high-visibility enforcement, community engagement, and tactical crime prevention methods.

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Florida News