Report: Denver sees largest homicide drop among 35 major U.S. cities
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Denver police Chief Ron Thomas. Photo: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Murders in Denver plunged at least 41% last year — the steepest drop among 35 large U.S. cities, according to data released Thursday by the Council on Criminal Justice.
Why it matters: Denver has seen a complete reversal of its COVID-era crime wave, and its public safety playbook could offer lessons for other communities where lethal violence remains high.
State of play: Denver police Chief Ron Thomas told Axios Denver last summer, when the decline was underway, that the turnaround stems from a layered strategy, including:
- Overcoming officer shortages that had hamstrung patrols.
- Targeting crime hotspots with officers and basic infrastructure like brighter lighting.
- Boosting homicide clearance rates through better evidence-gathering tools and stronger community trust, translating into more tips.
- Improving on-scene trauma care with expanded use of tourniquets and chest seals to save lives before paramedics arrive.
By the numbers: The local drop may be even sharper than the national data suggests.
- Denver Police Department figures show 37 homicides in 2025, down from 70 in 2024 — a 48% decline and the city's lowest rate since 1990.
Context: The gap between DPD and CCJ tallies likely reflects timing, CCJ analysts told Axios Denver.
- The group collected its data in early January, while police records can be updated later — for example, when an aggravated assault is reclassified as a homicide after a victim dies.
The big picture: Denver's decrease is part of a positive trend playing out nationwide.
- Of the 35 large U.S. cities reporting homicide rates, 31 saw declines, according to CCJ.
- Murders across those 35 cities fell 21% overall — the largest one-year drop on record and likely the lowest national homicide rate since 1900, Axios-reviewed data shows.
What they're saying: It's hard to pinpoint what's driving the decline, CCJ president and CEO Adam Gelb told reporters Thursday. "In short, it's everything everywhere all at once," he said.
- "We are seeing big swings in criminal justice policies and programs and rhetoric, big advances in crime-fighting technologies and big social, economic and cultural shifts all happening at the same time," he explained.
What's next: In an Axios interview this month, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said, after two years being "laser-focused" on violent crime, his administration will pivot to quality-of-life offenses, including retail theft and open drug use, this year.