Sheriff’s Office continuing to pursue special operations in effort to keep community safe
Early this month, while discussing his tentative 2026 fiscal year budget to the Sarasota County Commission, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman noted one slide in the presentation as he said, “This is something that we’re extremely proud of.” Figures illustrated the fact that, as he put it, “Our violent crime is down significantly.”
He stressed to the commissioners, “If you would have told me you could drive [down] violent crime — ‘Part 1’ crime, the way FDLE [the Florida Department of Law Enforcement] categorizes it — … more than 50%” from 2009 to 2020, I would have lost the bet.”
“In the last four years,” he continued, “I’m proud we drove it down another 10%-plus. So, a 62% reduction in violent crime from 2009, essentially, to one full year … of 2024.”…