Crime Trends and Policing

A Council on Criminal Justice study of 35 large U.S. cities found homicides fell 21% from 2024 to 2025 — the single‑largest one‑year drop in the dataset — amounting to roughly 922 fewer killings and leaving the sample's homicide rate about 25% below 2019 levels. Declines occurred in most cities (notable drops included Richmond 59%, Los Angeles 39% and New York City 10%; Denver, Omaha and Washington, D.C. saw 40%+ reductions while Little Rock rose 16%), and the report also found big drops in carjackings (61% since 2023), vehicle thefts (27%) and shoplifting (10%) with drug offenses edging up and experts attributing the turnaround to multiple factors like restored routines, targeted interventions, resumed court operations and broader investments.