The Osceola News-Gazette published a misleading article on Wednesday stating that the City of St. Cloud crime rate had greatly increased in 2018 and that the City of St. Cloud had somehow promoted itself as one of the Top 10 Safest Cities in Florida.
Positively Osceola is happy to publish this statement from the City of St. Cloud Police Department which clearly states that information presented was erroneous.
St. Cloud, FL. – On June 25th, 2019, the Osceola News Gazette published a report surrounding the 2018 Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR); which depicted a 9.4% increase in crime in the City of St. Cloud. While this information is accurate, the report failed to mention that during the previous year, 2017, the St. Cloud Police Department reported a 23% decrease in crime. Overall, the St. Cloud Police Department has seen a reduction in its crime index of 38.2%, since 2009; and 32.5% over the last 5 years. The St. Cloud Police Department’s Crime STATS indicate a reduction in crime during 7 of the past 10 years. In order to keep up with the population increases, the St. Cloud Police Department has added additional Police Officers to its workforce. The St. Cloud Police Department continues to actively recruit new Police Officers, in order to provide the best quality of service to our community.
Positively Osceola would like to thank the St. Cloud Police Department, the Kissimmee Police Department, and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office for their consistent and intentional focus on keeping our growing community safe. We encourage the community to join us in openly supporting them whenever possible, as every single day they place their lives on the line to serve and protect us, our families, our friends, and our futures!
