By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Continuing to follow local, state and national trends, crime in Coral Gables continued to decline in 2025, with an overall reduction of 12.15 percent according to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which the Coral Gables Police Department submits to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI.

The double-digit percentage reduction comes on the heels of similar drops in recent years in Coral Gables, with property crimes dropping the most (down nearly 14 percent ) while crimes against persons declined 6.32 percent and crimes against society dipped 2.35 percent. Total reported crimes fell from 1,876 in 2024 to 1,648 in 2025.

The city also recorded no murders or manslaughters in 2025, compared to one homicide reported the previous year.

“This year, as in the past several years, we continue to see a decrease in our overall crime statistics,” Police Chief Ed Hudak said. “I attribute this work to the engagement of our residents and the work of our officers on the street being actively involved in crime trends throughout the city. Most of the increases that we’ve seen in certain areas were person specific and not stranger related incidents. As we move forward as a department using technology and officer deployment strategies, we continue to strive to lower our overall incidents of crime within the city.”

Property crimes continue sharp decline

The largest declines once again came in property-related offenses, historically the city’s largest category of crime. Larceny and theft offenses dropped nearly 19 percent, falling from 937 cases in 2024 to 761 in 2025. Motor vehicle thefts declined another 20 percent, from 125 to 100 incidents, continuing a downward trend that began last year. Thefts from motor vehicles dropped sharply as well, decreasing nearly 34 percent from 212 cases to 140.

Shoplifting cases also declined significantly, dropping more than 20 percent from 242 incidents to 193. Theft of motor vehicle parts and accessories fell 40 percent, while fraud offenses decreased nearly 9 percent.

Assaults decline overall, though domestic-related cases rise

Violent crime statistics were more mixed. Overall assault offenses fell just over 6 percent, declining from 279 incidents to 262. Intimidation cases saw one of the sharpest declines in the report, dropping by more than 44 percent from 86 incidents to 48. Aggravated assaults remained relatively steady, falling slightly from 29 to 28 cases.

At the same time, however, simple assaults increased more than 13 percent, rising from 164 to 186 reported incidents. Hudak said many of those cases stemmed from domestic disputes rather than stranger-related violence.

“Most of these cases are domestic related cases,” Hudak said. “The definition of assaults can vary from verbal assaults to actual physical assaults.”

A handful of less common offenses also increased in 2025. The city recorded three kidnapping or abduction cases after reporting none the previous year. Animal cruelty offenses also rose from zero to three reported cases. Meanwhile, forcible sex offenses declined sharply by 60 percent, dropping from five reported incidents in 2024 to two in 2025.

Vandalism and robberies buck broader trend

One of the few major property crimes to rise was vandalism. Cases of property damage increased nearly 13 percent, climbing from 117 incidents to 132 in 2025. 

“The vandalism cases are mostly graffiti type of cases and damage to vehicles,” Hudak said. “Other than construction sites throughout the city there are no distinctive patterns.”

Robberies also increased, though the raw numbers remained comparatively low. The city recorded seven robberies in 2025, up from five the year before. Pocket-picking and purse-snatching incidents each rose 50 percent, though together they accounted for only 15 total cases citywide.

Hudak said those figures do not necessarily indicate a broader rise in stranger crimes in public areas.

“No, these cases are also very domestic related incidents and there still remain a very low case count on stranger offender cases,” he said. “In some shoplifting cases the offender will try and use force to escape the security personnel and therefore be categorized as a robbery.”

Police credit proactive enforcement for increases in some categories

Several categories connected to proactive enforcement efforts also increased. Burglary cases rose slightly from 75 to 77 incidents, while drug equipment violations increased 10 percent. Assisting or promoting prostitution cases climbed from three to five incidents, a trend Hudak resulted more from increased proactivity from cops rather than more criminal activity.

“The increase in prostitution-like crimes is a result of an increased proactive effort to combat human trafficking,” Hudak said. “Burglaries and drug violations continue to be addressed with the proactive Crime Suppression Team surveillance and operations plans throughout the city.”

Officials caution statistics are only part of the picture

The continued decline follows a significant reduction in crime reported in 2024, when Coral Gables saw a 14.3 percent drop in total offenses from the previous year. City officials have credited a combination of officer deployment strategies, regional partnerships and expanding technology investments for helping drive the sustained decreases.

Even with the overall improvements, Hudak has repeatedly cautioned against viewing statistics alone as the full measure of public safety, emphasizing that every crime still carries a significant impact for victims and families.