Miami-Dade Sheriff and F.B.I. Special Agent in Charge say collaboration leads to dramatic drop in crime

The Miami-Dade Sheriff and the Special Agent in Charge for the F.B.I. in Miami tell CBS News Miami that their stepped-up collaboration has led to a dramatic drop in crimes in Miami-Dade.

CBS News Miami spoke exclusively with Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Brett Skiles, the Special Agent in Charge for the F.B.I. in Miami, at Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office headquarters in Doral on Monday.

Cordero-Stutz said, "It has been an incredible year for us. We realize that nationally crime is down, but here locally the numbers are incredible. That's just since I became Sheriff. I want to say there has been a partnership of the men and women in our agency working hard every day."

Skiles said, "For us, I feel like Director Cash Patel has had the priority of crushing violent crime, so it has become a renewed focus for us for the F.B.I. Working together and being able to use state resources as well is something vitally important, and I think we do it better than anywhere else in the country."

The Sheriff released figures showing that there were 106 homicides in Miami-Dade in 2024 and 78 in 2025, a decrease of 26%. She said there were 1,157 robberies in 2024 and that number dropped to 967 in 2025, a decrease of 16%.

She said aggravated assaults dropped from 2,191 in 2024 to 1,933 in 2025, a decrease of 12%. And she said burglaries dropped from 1,180 in 2024 to 1,101 in 2025, a drop of 7%. She also said homicides are down 45% for the first seven months of this year and aggravated assaults are down 32%.

The Sheriff's Office said a recent joint operation with the F.B.I. Called "Operation Viper" on May 29th and 30th targeted illegal drugs and firearms and violent crimes, and led to 21 arrests and the confiscation of 7 illegal firearms in Northwest Miami-Dade.

Cordero-Stutz was elected Sheriff in January 2025.

She said, "Very shortly after I became Sheriff, I sat down with F.B.I. Director Cash Patel and we talked about our mutual goals and collaboration. We also work in cooperation when it comes to a task force as well, so our deputies are embedded in an F.B.I. task force and work hand in hand every day."

Skiles said, "This brings into play how our federal resources and statutes combined with state resources and statutes, and we get more bang for our buck in the community."

The Sheriff also said, "I think we are being very proactive in our intelligence."

Skiles said sometimes the penalties are stiffer when federal charges are added and said: "Having that federal hammer is an important tool for law enforcement."

They both urged people to reach out to law enforcement.

Skiles said, "We always need help from the public, and if any witnesses have cell phone video or Ring cam, that is helpful. We sometimes don't know about it until people tell us."

Cordero-Stutz said, "If you see something, say something. Sometimes if things don't seem right or feel right, let us know. If it rises to an emergency level, call 911. You can also email us or call us or call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers if you want to remain anonymous."

Skiles and Cordero-Stutz hope their collaboration will continue to help curb crime in the future.