Detroit has reached a historic turning point in its decades-long struggle with violent crime. On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, city officials announced that criminal homicides in 2025 fell to their lowest level in sixty years.
This dramatic reduction not only reshapes the narrative of the “Motor City” but also serves as a high-profile example of a broader national trend: the steady retreat of the violent crime wave that surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Historic Milestone
According to year-end data shared by Mayor Mary Sheffield and Police Chief Todd Bettison, Detroit recorded 165 homicides in 2025. This represents a nearly 19% decrease from the 203 recorded in 2024 and is the city’s lowest total since 1964.
For a city that once struggled with more than 700 murders annually in the early 1990s, the current trajectory is nothing short of transformative.
The decline was not limited to homicides. Other major categories of violent crime saw even more significant drops:
- Nonfatal Shootings: Down 26% (from 603 to 447).
- Carjackings: Plummeted 46% (from 142 to 77).
- Robberies: Decreased by 21%.
Mirroring the National Landscape
Detroit’s progress aligns with FBI data showing a nationwide cooling of violent crime. Across the United States, murder rates fell by nearly 15% in 2024, with that momentum largely continuing through 2025.
Experts suggest that as the social and economic disruptions of the pandemic era fade, traditional community structures—schools, community centers, and social services—have regained their footing, providing the stability necessary to prevent conflict from escalating into violence.
The Strategy: A Holistic Approach
Chief Bettison and Mayor Sheffield attribute Detroit’s success to a “holistic” model that balances traditional enforcement with innovative community intervention.
- Community Violence Intervention (CVI): The city’s “ShotStoppers” program and various CVI groups have targeted high-crime “hotspots.” These groups, led by neighborhood residents, work to mediate disputes before they turn deadly. In some of these targeted zones, homicides and shootings dropped by as much as 60%.
- Mental Health and Triage: Detroit has increasingly moved toward co-response models, embedding behavioral therapists in 911 call centers to triage mental health crises that might otherwise result in violent police encounters.
- Technological Integration: The expansion of Project Green Light—a network of high-definition cameras at local businesses—and the use of Evolv scanners at large public events, like the 2024 NFL Draft, have enhanced the city’s real-time monitoring and deterrent capabilities.
Looking Ahead to 2026
While the numbers are encouraging, city leaders acknowledge that the work is far from over. Mayor Sheffield recently announced the creation of the Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety, which will focus on root causes like job training, after-school programs, and poverty.
As the city enters 2026, the goal is to “double down” on these strategies. By treating violence as a public health crisis rather than just a policing issue, Detroit is successfully shedding its “Murder City” moniker and emerging as a national blueprint for urban renewal and public safety.