in the years following the merger, with murders down 73%, robberies down 47%, and burglaries down 23% from the period of 2007 to 2014. Violent crime rates then dropped by double-digit percentages for three consecutive years, 2016–2018. However, in 2019, the violent crime rate increased by 5.2% from the previous year. Much of the rise was attributable to an increase in aggravated assaults, although the city reported a decrease in burglaries and rapes. Today, PBSO maintains a police substation at 120 North G Street as part of their 14th district, which encompasses the municipal boundaries of Lake Worth Beach and has 82 deputies and 12 civilian employees. In addition to high crime rates, the city was part of the worsening opioid epidemic in the United States. From 2015 to 2016, the number of suspected drug overdose deaths rose by 56%. As of 2016, the estimated rate of overdose deaths was 20 out of every 10,000 people, higher than in neighboring towns. Overdose rates began decreasing in the late 2010s. PBSO reported 301 overdoses in Lake Worth Beach between May 2019 and April 2020, down from 354 between May 2018 and April 2019. Utilities In contrast with many other localities in eastern Florida, who are usually served by Florida Power & Light, Lake Worth Beach operates its own electrical utility. Founded in 1914 as the "Lake Worth Water, Light, and Ice Company" to serve about 600 residents, Lake Worth Beach Electric Utility has approximately 27,000 customers as of 2019. This also includes about 7,200 customers in Palm Springs and some adjacent unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County. In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the city purchased and began operating a solar farm in 2017, becoming the first municipality in Florida to do so. By May 2021, more than 38% of power generated by Lake Worth Beach Electric Utility originated from solar energy. Citizen Owned Energy forecasts that greenhouse gas emissions generated by the Lake Worth Beach Electric Utility will decrease to less than half of its 2005 levels by 2024. The Lake Worth Beach Water Utilities Department is responsible for providing residents with drinking water and the collection of wastewater and stormwater. Drinking water originates at a water treatment plant and is distributed via about of pipelines across the city. Lake Worth Beach owns and operates 33 pump stations, along with roughly of gravity and pressure pipes. Additionally, the