The City of Detroit is celebrating a significant decline in crime for 2025, including a level of murders not seen in 60 years.
Mayor Mary Sheffield and Police Chief Todd Bettison held a media conference on Wednesday to announce a continued drop in violent crime for Windsor's American neighbour.
"Detroit has once again seen a drop in every major category of crime, which means fewer families are grieving, fewer lives are disrupted, and more families can now feel safe in their homes, and in their communities," said Sheffield, who took office on January 1 as the city's first female mayor.
Detroit police reported 165 homicides in 2025, the first time that total dropped below 200 per year since 1965, when 188 murders were reported.
That is also down from 203 in 2024, and 252 in 2023.
Gun violence in the city continued to trend downward. There were 447 non-fatal shootings in Detroit in 2025, down 26.4 per cent from the 607 in 2024, and down 62 per cent from 1,176 in 2020.
Overall, violent crime in Detroit, which includes homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault, was down 10.2 per cent in 2025, compared to the year before.
Property crime, which consists of burglary, larceny, fraud, and auto theft, was down 9.7 per cent year-to-year.
Detroit's homicide rate soared in the years following the 1967 riot, when residents began arming themselves for protection. At one point, there were more firearms in Detroit than cars or people.
The murder count peaked in 1974 with 714 murders and earned Detroit the nickname "Murder City".
Homicides went up again in the mid to late 1980s, but they have gradually fallen ever since.
The mayor also announced on Wednesday that Detroit is opening its first Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety, which will expand strategies that include mental health support, youth after-school engagement, mentoring, and job training.
