MPD chief reports major 2025 drop in violent crime
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said 2025 saw broad declines in serious street crime despite seven mass shootings, with homicides falling to 64 from 77 in 2024 and gunshot wound victims down 18%, including record‑low shooting numbers in north Minneapolis. Robberies are down 50% and carjackings 73% from 2021 peaks, burglaries fell 10% and aggravated assaults 9%, while MPD modestly rebuilt staffing—hiring 174 officers and losing 49—and cut average Priority‑1 911 response times back toward pre‑2020 levels. O’Hara also urged both federal ICE agents and protesters to avoid violence or property damage as a roughly 2,000‑agent immigration surge continues in the Twin Cities, warning that Lake Street’s largely immigrant business corridor must not be harmed again.
📌 Key Facts
- Minneapolis recorded 64 homicides in 2025, down from 77 in 2024 and 32 fewer than in 2021.
- Gunshot wound victims declined 18% from 2024, with Third Precinct victims down 33%, Fourth Precinct down 42%, and 2025 marking the lowest number of shooting victims ever recorded in north Minneapolis.
- Robberies fell to 1,085 in 2025 (about 50% below 2021), carjackings were down 73% from 2021, burglaries dropped 10% (193 fewer), and aggravated assaults fell 9% (146 fewer victims).
- MPD hired 174 sworn officers and lost 49 in 2024, ending the year with more officers than it started, and fourth‑quarter 2025 Priority‑1 response times nearly returned to the pre‑2020 average of under seven minutes after previously rising to about 10 minutes.
- O’Hara publicly appealed to ICE and demonstrators to keep immigration‑related operations and protests peaceful, noting about 2,000 federal agents are in the Twin Cities and warning that renewed unrest on Lake Street would devastate immigrant‑owned businesses that rebuilt after 2020.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minneapolis, Black residents, who make up about 18% of the population, commit 88% of the homicides, highlighting a significant overrepresentation in violent crime rates compared to their population share.
Maligning Minneapolis — City Journal
In 2022, 65% of murder victims in Minnesota were African-American, despite African-Americans comprising approximately 7% of the state's population, indicating a per capita overrepresentation in homicide victimization.
The demographics of crime in Minnesota, with updated 2022 data — American Experiment
Minneapolis police use force against Black people more than eight times as often as against White people, with racial disparities persisting in enforcement actions.
Twin Cities police use physical force at rates well above national average — Minnesota Reformer
Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the U.S., with migration driven by resettlement programs following the Somali Civil War, leading to socioeconomic disparities in the community.
How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. — NPR
The decline in Minneapolis crime in 2025 is attributed to police initiatives, task forces, and programs implemented by the Minneapolis Police Department.
In early 2025, 77% of recorded homicides in the Tri-County area (including Minneapolis) involved non-White victims, with 19 out of 26 homicides occurring in Minneapolis.
The demographics of murder — American Experiment
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