Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons opened 2026 with a positive announcement, one that should please residents concerned about public safety: the number of homicides fell last year from 32 to 18, a drop that Simmons calls “probably the biggest drop in homicide numbers that we’ve had in recent memory.”
The Numbers Tell a Positive Story
The 40% reduction in homicides represents just part of the good news. Violent crime overall decreased by 13 to 15% throughout the county.
- “We owe it to ourselves, and I owe it to the voters to do the very best that we possibly can,” Simmons said during a recent podcast interview, explaining his year-end assessment process with command staff.
While acknowledging that “some of that is luck,” Simmons insisted that his command staff examine multiple factors behind crime trends, including personnel increases, philosophical changes, technology improvements, and policy adjustments.
“I read a lot about successful business people, and I think it was Jack Welch used to run General Electric. And when he took over, he assessed everything. And his favorite thing is we’re not going to invest in losers anymore,” he said. “If an operation isn’t working, or in their case, making money, we’re going to get rid of it. And if it’s not doing a certain level, then we’re going to prove it.”
- The sheriff continued, “So I had a meeting as early as this morning and talked to my command staff and said, ‘Just because we think things are going well doesn’t mean that we can’t do a little bit better.’”
Technology as a Game-Changer
The Real-Time Crime Center continues expanding its capabilities, particularly through license plate reader technology. Simmons described a recent homicide case that showed the system’s power.
“We had a situation where we had basically no evidence. There was a body with a gunshot wound to the head,” Simmons explained. Detectives canvassed the neighborhood not just for witnesses, but for security cameras. They identified a white Ford Bronco, tracked it to a liquor store an hour before the murder, and placed it at the crime scene.
“We were able to solve a homicide that 10 years ago we would never have been able to solve, certainly not in such a short period of time,” Simmons said.
Drones: A Controversial but Effective Tool
Despite recent opposition from some gubernatorial candidates, Simmons defended the sheriff’s office drone program as essential modern policing.
“I don’t understand ignoring technology,” Simmons said, clarifying that his office doesn’t patrol with drones or monitor people’s backyards. Instead, they deploy drones to establish perimeters during searches or when looking for missing persons.
The drones’ forward-looking infrared (FLIR) capabilities allow deputies to see heat signatures of suspects within one or two-block radius, particularly in wooded areas. Simmons stressed, “We’re not talking about shoplifting. We’re talking about robberies. We’re talking about felons.”
Open Carry: A Non-Issue So Far
The recent court case that made the open carry of firearms legal in Florida hasn’t created problems locally, according to Simmons.
- “We saw more changes with regards to the law when they passed what they call constitutional carry. Anyone could carry without a concealed carry permit,” he said. “But right now, we haven’t had any complaints about people walking around with open firearms,”
While supporting constitutional carry rights, he noted that residents seem to exercise common sense about when and where they carry firearms openly.
- “I would hope that people would keep that in mind, that people would certainly exercise their constitutional rights, but also have a level of common sense,” Simmons said.
