The police department works to keep residents and visitors safe using an innovative crime reduction plan titled, “Focus on Five.” This progressive policing philosophy concentrates on five high-volume pattern crimes that are gateways to violence: burglary, robbery, auto burglary, auto theft and aggravated assault.

The "Focus on Five" plan evolves monthly, weekly and sometimes daily to stay ahead of crime trends and constantly build partnerships with the citizens in our city.

In January 2021 Tampa Police Department converted to the FBI’s NIBRS reporting system which is the national standard for measuring crime. Years prior to 2021 cannot be compared since they were reported under the old standard of UCR Summary reporting and crimes were calculated differently.

The NIBRS reporting system constantly updates and therefore these numbers can fluctuate and may differ from the FBI final release of year end statistics.

Developing strategies to reduce juvenile arrests is one of the Tampa Police Department's key goals. The department partnered with the State Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, the Chief Judge for the 13th Circuit Court and the head of each law enforcement agency to create a juvenile civil citation process. Unlike other forms of juvenile diversion, youthful offenders who commit non-serious delinquent acts are given an opportunity to take responsibility for their actions and make a positive contribution to the community in lieu of receiving an arrest record. While this program has been successful in lowering juvenile arrests, the department is taking additional steps to reduce arrests by reaching more juveniles before they enter the court system. In 2014, the department launched a citywide campaign, titled “Be the Difference,” to increase youth participation in the department’s Resources in Community Hope (RICH) House program, Police Athletic League, Police Explorers program and Teen Academy. District crime prevention teams were also tasked with developing creative concepts that foster positive relationships between officers and young residents.

The police department measures calls for service based on two categories: Proactive Police Calls and Dispatched Calls. Proactive Police Calls are initiated by officers who are working to solve cases, prevent future crimes and build positive relationships with the community. Dispatched calls are the number of 911 and non-emergency calls received from the public. Over the past 12 years, the officers have increased their pro-active activities 148%--one of the leading contributors to Tampa’s low crime rate.

The "Focus on Five" plan evolves monthly, weekly and sometimes daily to stay ahead of crime trends and constantly build partnerships with the citizens in our city.