COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Columbus recorded 1,022 fewer Part 1 crimes from Jan. 1 through Dec. 2, 2025, compared to the same period last year, and violent crime dropped by 29%, according to the Columbus Police Department.
Officials say the department’s Real-Time Crime Center played a major role in identifying suspects and speeding investigations across the city.
What Part 1 crimes include
Part 1 crimes are the most serious offenses that are regularly tracked and reported to law enforcement, including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. A drop in those numbers is one metric officials use to measure public safety trends.
Technology hub combines multiple tools
The Real-Time Crime Center is a technology hub that brings together gunshot detection, surveillance camera feeds, license-plate readers and other digital tools in a single command center. Analysts monitor live and recorded data, flag leads for officers and package digital evidence for prosecutors.
“So the Real-Time Crime Center is a hub of technology — whether it be gunshot detection, surveillance cameras, tag readers — it’s a conglomeration of technology that helps us solve crime throughout the city,” said Captain Andy Farmer…