Suicide in Detroit has fallen to levels not seen since before the mid-1960s, according to preliminary year-end statistics released by the Michigan border city.
The city is part of a national trend of declining rates of violent crime across the U.S.
Detroit finished 2024 with about 203 homicides — down 49 from the previous year and the city's fewest since 188 were committed in 1965, Mayor Mike Duggan said.
Non-fatal shootings, assaults, carjackings and other violent crimes are also occurring throughout the city.
“We have numbers that are not that impressive,” Duggan said.
“I was the (Wayne County) prosecutor in 2002 and I remember the Detroit police celebrating that we got under 400 murders for the first time and they said, 'We didn't think we'd see that number ever.' And a few years ago I was mayor and we got under 300 murders.”
Total violent crime in the United States declined by about 3 percent in 2023 from the previous year, according to an FBI report released in September. Nationally, homicides and homicides fell by nearly 12 percent.
Detroit, which has a population of about 633,000 residents, reported 309 murders in 2022. There were also 308 murders in 2021. The city had 261 murders in 2018, the fewest since 1966 when there were 214 murders.
Non-fatal shootings in Detroit dropped from 804 in 2023 to 606 last year.
“The change in this community in just a few years has been pretty remarkable,” Duggan said of fewer killings and shootings.
“These are not numbers. These are real people, especially young people in our community.”
Reductions have been across the board. Carjackings decreased from 167 in 2023 to 142 last year. Sexual assaults were also down and 184 fewer robberies were reported last year compared to 2023. Burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts also fell.
Duggan credited the city's partnerships with other local and state law enforcement agencies and federal agencies.
He also credited programs like ShotStoppers that provide federal funds to Detroit organizations working to reduce the number of homicides and shootings. Reductions of 83 percent, 73 percent and 61 percent were reported in some of the city's most violent areas last month.
ShotStoppers started in 2023 and empowers activists and residents to use their own strategies to prevent violence. These strategies include teaching young people to think critically, improving training opportunities for adults, drug prevention and blight removal.
Detroit has also been hiring more police officers, putting 340 more on the city's streets over the past two years.
