Homicide rates in the country’s largest cities are continuing to drop to levels last seen before the pandemic, according to a study released Thursday by the Council on Criminal Justice.
While the national drop in homicides is around 17% this year compared to mid-year 2024, Atlanta has had 32% fewer killings, data from the city’s police department shows. That’s because the city has made fighting crime a team effort, Atlanta leaders say.
“We are excited about what we’ve been seeing in our downward crime trends for the past three years,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday. “This year we’ve seen a really, really greater improvement than the other years that I’ve been mayor. This has been a focus of ours.”
As of Sunday, the Atlanta police department had investigated 49 homicides compared to 72 on the same date last year. And the city has seen one of the nation’s largest drops in vehicle thefts, according to the recent study…