Cleveland on pace to end 2024 with lowest homicide rate in 5 years
Homicides dropped 39% from 2023, with officials crediting partnerships, technology and neighborhood-focused policing
December 28, 2024 06:00 AM
Cleveland is set to end 2024 with the fewest number of homicides in five years.
Olivia Mitchell/TNS
By Olivia Mitchell
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND — Cleveland is set to end 2024 with the fewest number of homicides in five years.
Through Dec. 23, the city had 104 violent deaths, city records show. That’s a major drop from the 192 total in 2020.
The numbers follow a national trend on crime, as authorities are seeing fewer murders in most major cities. In Cleveland, officials have cited the greater use of technology, an increased focus on neighborhoods and an emphasis on fighting gun crimes.
The city has seen its homicides slowly drop since the pandemic. Last year, 165 people were killed in the city after a bloody summer, three fewer than the year before. This year, however, the numbers have declined significantly.
Mayor Justin Bibb has pushed an initiative he calls Raising Investment in Safety for Everyone (RISE). He began it July 23, 2023, when the city suffered through a summer of slayings.
Bibb and city leaders called for help from state troopers, U.S. marshals, Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies and federal agents to partner with city patrol officers and detectives. The additional officers helped a department depleted by retirements and resignations deal with crime.
In recent years, the city employed 1,600 officers. In December, it had 1,142.
Police records show homicides are down 39% from last year, while stolen cars declined 21%. Robberies fell by 12% and felonious assaults by 8%.
“While our RISE results are encouraging, now is not the time to let up,” Bibb said in a statement. “My administration will continue to do everything we can, but we need everyone to step up.”
https://www.police1.com/crime/cleveland-on-pace-to-end-2024-with-lowest-homicide-rate-in-5-years
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