Crime drops nearly 10% in Miramar as police tout more officers and technology
Crime in Miramar fell nearly 10% in 2025, with sharp declines in violent offenses, as the city added more officers and leaned into technology to better predict and prevent crime, Police Chief Delrish Moss told the City Commission on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Presenting what he called the department’s 2025 “report card,” Moss said overall crime was down 9.9% compared with 2024, while property crime fell 25.7%.
In addition:
- Murders dropped 70%
- Robberies declined 9.7%
- Rapes dropped 42.1%, the largest decrease of any crime in the city
- Burglaries were down 20.9%
- Thefts from vehicles dropped 30.2%
- Arson decreased 40%
The improvements, Moss said, reflect a mix of expanded staffing and new tools, including predictive analytics, license-plate reader technology and crime-spotting systems that help officers deploy resources more effectively.
“In one year alone, 51 police officers were added to our ranks,” Moss said, noting that Miramar hired more officers in a year than at any point in the city’s history.
While praising the overall progress, Moss acknowledged that aggravated assaults and batteries — many tied to domestic incidents — remain a challenge. He said the department has expanded its use of social workers and victim advocates and worked with the city to add safe spaces and safe houses so residents can leave abusive situations before violence escalates.
Mayor Wayne M. Messam pressed Moss on staffing levels, saying residents still worry the city may be short on officers.
Moss said the department is budgeted for 265 sworn officers, up from 230 when he arrived in April 2023, aided in part by grant funding. About 250 officers are currently on staff, and the department is hiring for certified and non-certified positions.
“That’s tremendous progress,” Messam said, adding that the update should reassure residents concerned about police staffing.
Commissioner Alexandra Davis Sherazad asked whether Miramar’s 911 call center is staffed with specialists trained to handle sensitive domestic situations. Moss said the department’s social worker and victim advocate programs allow police to look beyond individual calls and work with families more deeply, even as dispatch staffing remains a separate issue.
Sherazad suggested exploring models used by other cities, where trained specialists help shape responses to domestic disputes to avoid unnecessarily escalating situations. Moss pointed to the city’s existing safe-space partnerships with the fire department as a proactive step that has already shown promise.
Commissioner Yvette Colbourne praised the downward crime trends and said she hoped rising reports of domestic violence reflect more victims coming forward. She also urged the department to consider deploying mobile cameras in areas where residents have reported suspicious activity, including parks and other locations without nearby homes.
Moss said the city is building out a real-time intelligence center and pursuing public-private partnerships that would allow businesses and residents to feed camera footage into police systems, expanding the department’s reach.
Commissioner Maxwell Chambers credited police and residents for the progress, noting that Miramar’s growth in multi-family housing can make policing more challenging.
“Our residents are our best crime-fighting partners,” Chambers said.
Moss also highlighted another milestone: Miramar Police received its 30th consecutive accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, earning the highest level.
The department has been recommended for dual accreditation by the Florida Commission on Accreditation and is expected to receive final approval in February.
“2025 was a good year for us,” Moss said. “We plan to press on (this) year and do even better.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 5:32 PM.
