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Sarasota police report double-digit crime drops, roll out real‑time center and drone pilot
Summary
Chief Rex Troche told the City Commission the Sarasota Police Department recorded an 18% drop in violent crime in 2025 and a three‑year decline totaling roughly 56%, credited to a new Real‑Time Operations Center, data partnerships and targeted enforcement; commissioners pressed for more PIT and homeless‑team data. The commission accepted the report unanimously.
Chief Rex Troche presented the Sarasota Police Department’s 2025 end‑of‑year review to the City Commission, opening with a statistic he called “amazing”: a year‑over‑year 18% decline in violent crime and a three‑year reduction that Troche said totaled about 56%. The presentation credited a mix of technology, partnerships and focused enforcement for the drop.
Troche described the Real‑Time Operations Center (ROC) and its connected systems, including a Raven gunshot‑detection program and body‑worn camera feeds, saying the ROC shortened investigation times from days or weeks to seconds. “When we can solve crimes in seconds, we keep other people from being victimized,” Troche said.
Staff and commanders gave a series of operational examples. Captain Rob Armstrong highlighted the department’s homeless‑outreach “hot team,” reporting 2,805 contacts and about 600 individuals who successfully completed community‑care pathways. Captain Jonathan Todd described detective work that produced a 100% clearance rate on two 2025 homicides, and the Strategic Investigations Unit noted large narcotics seizures and cash and firearm recoveries.
Deputy Chief Scott Mayforth outlined two soon‑to‑launch pilots: a real‑time 911 listening system that lets ROC analysts hear incoming county dispatch calls and a drone‑first‑responder program the department plans to beta later this year. Mayforth said the drone pilot’s initial funding came from a philanthropist working through the Sarasota Police Foundation and will be tracked with an online dashboard. “We’re going to be tracking all the data,” Mayforth said, adding the city will evaluate performance before committing to a longer term purchase.
Commissioners questioned staffing, the detail behind the hot‑team outcomes, and how the ROC uses predictive analytics. Captain Ken Rainey said internal affairs opened 173 investigations in 2025 — including 11 formal investigations — and noted that 84 of 98 inquiries were closed after reviewing body‑worn camera footage and finding no policy violation.
After follow‑up questions about point‑in‑time homeless counts, community‑care placements and equipment funding, Commissioner Batiste moved to accept the SPD report; the commission voted unanimously to approve it.
The commission did not make any policy changes during the presentation. Staff said the department will return with results from the drone and real‑time 911 pilots after the beta period and provide additional metrics on outreach and predictive‑policing phases.
