The murder rate in Toledo declined for 2024, a reflection of the national trend of fewer homicides across the United States.
Toledo had 12 fewer homicides this year compared to last year. There were 32 homicides compared to a total of 44 In 2023.
The murder rate in Toledo has fallen every year since 2021, when the number jumped to 71 from 60 the previous year. In 2022, it dropped to 66.
“It’s great news,” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said. “This is now the third straight year our homicide rate has gone down. Since 2021, we cut the numbers in half, which is a significant improvement.”
The mayor attributed the reduction to a combination of factors.
Beefing up the number of police officers in the department has helped, he said.
“When I became mayor in 2018, we had 585 officers. Today, we have 635. We turned it around and grew the force,” he said.
The increased police presence in the community as a result has an effect on curbing crime and developing relationships with the public.
“They can get out of their squad cars and do more foot patrols, more community policing, which is what we have been able to do,” he said.