Homicides fall in Detroit as city mirrors U.S. violent-crime trend

Detroit recorded 165 homicides in 2025, its lowest total since at least the mid-1960s, and city officials reported drops in several other violent crimes. Federal data show violent crime in the United States also declined in 2024.

Detroit reported 165 homicides for 2025, the city’s lowest count since at least the mid-1960s, city officials announced. Police Chief Todd Bettison said the 2025 total was 38 fewer than 203 homicides recorded in 2024. Officials also said several other categories of violent crime fell, and noted the local pattern aligns with broader U.S. declines reported by the FBI. The article summarizes city figures, police statements, and national data as context. Key figures: - Detroit recorded 165 homicides in 2025, down from 203 in 2024; the city had 252 homicides in 2023, 309 in 2022 and 308 in 2021. - Nonfatal shootings fell from 603 in 2024 to 447 in 2025. - Carjackings decreased from 142 to 77, and robberies fell from 1,209 to 953 between 2024 and 2025. - Sexual assaults and vehicle thefts were also reported as lower in 2025, and more than 6,200 guns were recovered in the city that year. - The FBI reported U.S. violent crime fell 4.5% in 2024 and property crime dropped 8% that year; murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in the U.S. fell nearly 15% in 2024. - Detroit’s homicide rate was reported at about 32 per 100,000 residents in 2024 and about 25 per 100,000 in 2025, based on a population near 645,000. Summary: The city’s figures mark a notable decline in homicides and several other violent-crime categories, and officials said the trend is consistent with national decreases reported by federal data. Police leaders and a local criminology professor pointed to multiple violence-reduction initiatives, gun-recovery efforts, targeted enforcement and partnerships as factors cited by authorities. Undetermined at this time.