Homicides in Detroit have dropped to levels not seen since the mid-1960s, according to preliminary year-end statistics released by the Michigan border city.
The city is part of a national trend of declining violent crime rates across the US
Detroit ended 2024 with 203 homicides – down 49 from the previous year and the city's fewest since 188 in 1965, Mayor Mike Duggan said.
Non-fatal shootings, assaults, carjackings and other violent crimes also continue to decline across the city.
“We have very poor numbers,” Duggan said.
“I was the (Wayne County) prosecutor in 2002 and I remember the Detroit police celebrating that we got under 400 homicides for the first time and saying, 'We never thought we'd see that number.' And a few years ago I was mayor and we had less than 300 murders.”
Overall violent crime in the United States is expected to decrease by an estimated 3 percent in 2023 from the previous year, according to an FBI report released in September. Nationally, homicides and involuntary manslaughter decreased by 12 percent.
Detroit, with a population of about 633,000, reported 309 homicides in 2022. There were also 308 homicides in 2021. The city had 261 homicides in 2018, the fewest since 1966 when 214 people were killed.
Fatal shootings in Detroit dropped from 804 in 2023 to 606 last year.
“The change in this community in just a few years has been extraordinary,” Duggan said of the decline in homicides and shootings.
“These are not numbers. These are real people, especially young people in our community.”
The decline was across the board. Car thefts dropped from 167 in 2023 to 142 last year. Sexual assaults also decreased and robberies decreased by 184 last year compared to 2023. Burglaries, break-ins and car thefts also decreased.
Duggan praised the city's relationship with other local and state law enforcement and federal agencies.
He also praised programs like ShotStoppers, which provides federal funding to groups in Detroit that work to reduce the number of homicides and shootings. Decreases of 83 percent, 73 percent and 61 percent in some of the city's most violent areas were reported last month.
ShotStoppers started in 2023 and empowers activists and citizens to use their techniques to prevent violence. Those strategies include teaching young people to think critically, improving training opportunities for adults, drug prevention and decontamination.
Detroit has also been hiring more police officers, putting 340 more on city streets in the past two years.
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