Mayors credit innovative policing and crime prevention strategies, strategic partnerships & holistic approaches to crime reduction for downward trend
Washington, DC — Last week during the 93rd Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) in Tampa (FL) mayors from across the country gathered to discuss the tremendous progress cities have made in recent years in reducing crime nationwide and their voices represented a consensus – a holistic, collaborative approach to crime reduction is working.
Watch: How Mayors are Leading on Reducing Crime in America’s Cities
During the meeting, then-USCM President Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther kicked off a public safety panel discussion by highlighting the “dramatic reduction in crime in cities across the country.” According to a Violent Crime survey of 68 cities released last month, homicides were down 20% during the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period last year. Rape was also down 14%, robbery 20% and aggravated assault 11%.
The panel featured two mayors who previously served as city police chiefs: Tampa (FL) Mayor Jane Castor and Fresno (CA) Mayor Jerry Dyer. Both credited the importance of the relationship between local and federal law enforcement in reducing crime: “Everyone brings different skills and assets to a criminal investigation. Having those relationships is incredibly essential and I hope they don’t go away and continue to be fostered,” Mayor Castor said.
Preventing crimes before they happen is equally important, said panelist Newark (NJ) Mayor Ras Baraka, who decried the Trump administration’s decision earlier this year to eliminate federal funding for community-based violence prevention: “Money taken from that is a problem.”
Here’s a snapshot of what mayors are saying about how cities are leading in crime reduction:
Former USCM President Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther
“In 2024, we continued to make significant strides in reducing violent crime and strengthening community safety across our city. Homicides dropped by 17%, felonious assaults were down 25%…and this year is off to a remarkable start. In the first quarter of 2025, homicides were down 37% over the progress we saw in 2024, and felonious assaults were down 15%. Like so many of our most pressing endeavors, this success is rooted in trust and collaboration. Historic levels of public engagement have empowered our law enforcement officers to act swiftly and effectively. These stronger connections between our officers and the neighbors they serve have fostered a shared sense of responsibility for our city’s safety.” (Source)
Arlington (TX) Mayor Jim Ross
“We’re starting to deal with people at a local level in a much more transparent and honest way. And when you do that, the trust between the community and local officials increases tremendously.” (Source)
Baltimore (MD) Mayor Brandon Scott
“This continued progress shows that our strategy to build a safer, better Baltimore is working. Thanks to our Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan and the dedicated work of our community violence intervention ecosystem, BPD, and partners across the criminal justice system, homicides and shootings continue to fall.” (Source)
Cleveland (OH) Mayor Justin Bibb
“Our city is making strides to reduce violent crime and reduce homicides in a way like never before. We are certainly deploying an all-out government approach to make Cleveland one of the safest big cities in the country.” (Source)
Fresno (CA) Mayor Jerry Dyer
“Back in 2020 and 2021, we had 74 murders in our city each of those years, and when you look at where we are today, six months into the year, we’re at 10. So, we’ve made a lot of progress.” (Source)
Newark (NJ) Mayor Ras Baraka
“In the past decade we saw a 61% reduction in homicides in the city of Newark, and I think it’s for two reasons. One: we’ve created an ecosystem of community violence intervention organizations … that help us tackle hotspots in the city and begin to put resources and services and conflict resolution and trauma-informed care in those communities and they’ve been working incredibly well with our law enforcement. And then I would say secondly, our police department has focused more on intelligence-based policing, more than anything else.” (Source)
New Orleans (LA) LaToya Cantrell
“The dedicated women and men of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), who show up every day are directly responsible for the measurable drop in violent crime our city is experiencing. Through civilianization, alternative dispatch, the reimagining of deployment strategies and embracing upgraded technology, NOPD has implemented a public safety effort which resulted in violent crime falling drastically and swiftly, while outpacing national trends. Our officers are using every available tool in the toolbox to help move New Orleans forward, while making it safer for residents and visitors.” (Source)
Tampa (FL) Mayor Jane Castor
“There’s no such thing as a small crime, but really, it’s the relationship with the community that will help. Your cities become safer, and I also agree that there are a few that we like to call the dot makers, those individuals who are committing the majority of the crime out in your community. And so that’s what we focus on in a very surgical manner so that the rest of the community has that trust in law enforcement, and they will cooperate.” (Source)