Resisting Officer in Polk County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Polk County, we compared 2,052 Resisting Officer cases with public defenders against 797 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.3 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

1.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
2,052 cases
0.3%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
797 cases
-1.3 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
Facing Resisting Officer charges in Polk County?

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 2,052 797 3,146
Dismissal Rate 1.6% 0.3% 0.6%
Conviction Rate 91.0% 93.2% 94.1%
Guilty Rate 82.8% 70.0% 77.3%
Adjudication Withheld 8.2% 23.2% 16.8%
Diversion Rate 0.7% 1.1% 4.4%
Avg Sentence 7.4 months 10.6 months 5.3 months
Avg Fine $153.78 $158.14 $168.34
Avg Probation 1 year, 5 months 1 year, 7 months 1 year, 4 months

Important context: Correlation is not causation. Private attorney clients may differ from public defender clients in income, prior criminal history, charge severity, and willingness to go to trial. These factors independently affect outcomes. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

Statewide Comparison

Statewide, the dismissal rate for Resisting Officer is 2.3% with public defenders and 1.4% with private attorneys (-0.9 point difference). Polk County's -1.3 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Polk County 1.6% 0.3% -1.3 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.3% 1.4% -0.9 pts

Other Charges in Polk County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 5,606 0.1% 2,094 0.0%
Traffic Offense 2,995 0.4% 1,336 0.2%
Larceny / Theft 2,316 0.9% 989 0.1%
Battery 1,765 2.2% 823 0.4%
Other 1,332 8.8% 803 1.6%
Trespassing 1,222 6.3% 304 0.0%
DUI 699 1.6% 641 0.0%
Sex Offense 710 1.3% 477 0.4%

Need a Defense Attorney in Polk County?

Get matched with a local attorney who handles Resisting Officer cases. Free, confidential, no obligation.

Frequently Asked Questions

In Polk County, private attorney clients have a 0.3% dismissal rate for Resisting Officer compared to 1.6% for public defender clients. This is a -1.3 percentage point difference based on 2,849 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Resisting Officer in Polk County is 91.0% with a public defender and 93.2% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.3% for public defenders and 1.4% for private attorneys. Polk County's difference of -1.3 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.9 points.

Conviction includes guilty pleas and adjudication withheld. Data covers 2023–2025 FDLE public court records. Last updated: March 2026

Important: Differences in outcomes between public defenders and private attorneys may reflect differences in case complexity, defendant resources, charge severity, and other factors — not solely attorney quality. These statistics do not predict individual case outcomes.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 2,849 cases analyzed · Polk County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026