Miami-Dade Crime Down 5.2 Percent In 2012: Florida Department Of Law Enforcement

2012 Was Less Violent Than You Think
MIAMI BEACH, FL - MAY 26: General view of location where Ronald Poppo was attacked by Rudy Eugene on May 26, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Aaron Davidson/FilmMagic)
MIAMI BEACH, FL - MAY 26: General view of location where Ronald Poppo was attacked by Rudy Eugene on May 26, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Aaron Davidson/FilmMagic)

Miami crime made international headlines last year when a naked man inexplicably and brutally chewed off the face of another man in broad daylight on the side of a busy road.

Yet despite the bizarre and horrific attack, Miami-Dade County saw a lot less crime than previous years, according to statistics released Thursday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Remarkably, Dade's overall crime rate dropped 5.2 percent in 2012, which is a big improvement from the year before when sex offenses, robbery, burglary, and gun murders were on the rise.

Florida is enjoying its lowest crime rate in 42 years; crime is down 5.7 percent even though murders and forcible sex offenses increased statewide in 2012.

In Miami-Dade, both murders and forcible sex offenses decreased last year as did virtually every other category of crime. The only offense with a steep rise of 32.9 percent in 2012 was pickpocketing.

See the slideshow below for specific statistics.

Other South Florida counties didn't fair as well. Broward only saw a crime decrease of 3.8 percent in 2012 with a frightening 35 percent increase in murder.

In Palm Beach, overall crime decreased by 3.4 percent but the county saw a 23 percent increase in gun murders and a 14.3 percent increase in forcible sexual offenses.

Murder: Down By 3.7%

Miami-Dade Crime 2012

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