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Miami's police chief puts the drop in crime at 3% in his first 100 days

Edwin López, a Cuban American and chief of the Miami Police Department since June 15, presented a report showing a 3% fall in overall crime and 7% in violent crime, according to the department's own figures reported by CiberCuba.

Edwin López, chief of the Miami Police Department, presented the report on his first 100 days showing a 3% fall in overall crime and 7% in violent crime, according to the department's own figures for the period between June 15 and September 22, 2026, compared with the same stretch of 2025 and reported by CiberCuba.

The sharpest declines the department publishes are in homicides, from 10 to 7 cases; robberies, from 83 to 63; and stolen vehicles, from 285 to 215. Not every category fell alike: assault and battery dropped 2% and theft 1%. The outlet itself warns that the figures come from the department and have not been independently verified.

López credited the results to heavier patrol deployment, the use of drones and surveillance cameras, and the accumulated work of previous administrations. Over that period the department issued more than 25,000 traffic citations and made more than 1,000 arrests for traffic offences. The chief also toured the city's 13 neighbourhoods, among them heavily Cuban American areas such as Little Havana, Flagami and Allapattah.

López was born in Miami to Cuban immigrant parents and was sworn in on June 15 as the department's 44th chief, appointed by Mayor Eileen Higgins. He is the second consecutive Cuban American chief: his predecessor, Manuel "Manny" Morales, retired after 32 years of service. With more than 28 years in South Florida law enforcement, he commands roughly 1,400 sworn officers and 400 civilian employees in a city of almost 500,000 residents.

The most sensitive front for the Cuban community is the department's cooperation with federal immigration authorities. According to a report on migrant arrests in Miami-Dade cited by CiberCuba, Miami police is the county agency with the most people detained under the 287(g) programme: 451 arrests between August 2025 and August 2026, of whom around 29% are Cuban. That sits awkwardly with the statement López made when sworn in, when he said his priority "is not to enforce anything to do with immigration".

The department also faces the vote on Florida's Amendment 3, decided on Tuesday, which would widen the property tax exemption. If it passes, which requires 60% of the vote, Miami-Dade could lose between $359 million and $445 million a year, according to the same outlet. County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava warned of the possible closure of up to 19 fire stations and the loss of more than 600 posts. Asked about that scenario, López said the department would deal with it when the time came.

Sources: CiberCuba

Data updated: 2026-11-01T16:15:00.000Z

Miami's police chief puts the drop in crime at 3% in his first 100 days | Yamacoa Observatory