Violent and property crimes fell in Arizona last year, following a nationwide trend.

The big picture: Nationally, crime rates fell to a 20-year low in 2024, according to new FBI data released Tuesday.

• The figures come as preliminary data from the country's largest cities in 2025 so far suggests violent crime could be headed toward record modern lows.
• In addition, homicides in major cities fell during the first six months of 2025, compared with the same period last year.

By the numbers: In Arizona, reported violent crimes fell to 30,888 in 2024, from 31,563 in 2023.

• During that same period, property crimes dropped to 129,963, from 139,350.

Zoom in: As with many other major cities across the U.S., Phoenix experienced a decrease (to 59 from 66) in homicides in the first half of this year compared with 2024, per the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA).

• Aggravated assaults, rapes and robberies also fell during those six months.
• Mesa and Tucson, the other Arizona cities in the mid-year report, experienced slight upticks in homicides (an additional two per city) in the first six months of this year compared with 2024.
• However, both cities experienced decreases in other violent crimes.

Zoom out: The U.S. had a violent crime rate of 359.1 per 100,000 residents last year, the FBI said.

• That surpassed the lowest violent crime rate since 2014, when it was 372.4 per 100,000 residents, and many cities saw 30-year lows, an Axios analysis found.
• Meanwhile, the nation's property crime rate dropped to 1,760.1 per 100,000 residents last year. That's also a 20-year low, per an Axios analysis of FBI numbers.

Between the lines: Overall violent crime dropped by 4.5% and all property crime decreased 8.1% from 2024 to 2023, the FBI said.

The intrigue: The FBI announcement made no mention of crime rates falling to 20-year lows — and didn't give out the crime rates per 100,000 residents, as it does each year.

• The FBI also didn't explain what's behind the drops.

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It's a battle of political heavyweights as John McCain and Sandra Day O'Connor face off in the championship round of the Arizona History Showdown.

How it works: Click here to vote in the third round. Voting closes at 5pm.

• We'll show you the results in next Monday's Axios Phoenix.

Catch up quick: O'Connor bested her old ally Barry Goldwater in the showdown's Final Four, while McCain defeated fellow U.S. Sen. Carl Hayden.

Catch up quick: We combined the two 16-entry brackets we started with into one after the first round, but you can see the results of the first round of voting here.

Vote now!

🗳️ Mylie Biggs, a Republican state Senate candidate, said on a 2024 podcast that she doesn't believe women should hold office. Biggs is the daughter of U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs. (Phoenix New Times)

Police booked an 18-year-old man on suspicion of disorderly conduct, assault and public display of explicit sexual material after allegedly throwing a sex toy at a Phoenix Mercury game that hit a man and his nine-year-old niece. The WNBA, PHX Arena and the man who was hit want charges to be filed. (NBC News)

• It was one of several recent incidents of someone throwing a sex toy at the court at a WNBA game.

Secretary of State Adrian Fontes cut three staffers, citing the loss of funding in this year's budget. (Votebeat)

👀 Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo is asking AG Kris Mayes to investigate whether county Recorder Justin Heap violated open meeting law by trying to round up supervisors' votes for a new elections agreement. (KJZZ)

🔥 The Oxbow Bridge over the Colorado River near Cibola in La Paz County was destroyed by a fire. (AZcentral)

Arizona Public Service (APS) is reversing course on its landmark 2020 pledge to produce electricity with zero carbon emissions and be completely reliant on clean energy by 2050.

State of play: CEO Ted Geisler announced on a Wednesday earnings call that APS parent company Pinnacle West Capital Corp., is abandoning its "zero carbon" plan to instead be "carbon neutral" by 2050.

Zoom in: In a press statement, Pinnacle West said that meeting the energy needs of Arizona's growing population requires "the most reliable and cost-effective resources available to us."

• "Clean energy remains an important consideration for us," Geisler said, "but always with a focus on a balanced energy mix that best serves reliability and affordability."
• The company will seek opportunities to "support reliability" through other resources, including natural gas.
• APS will also scrap other shorter-term goals, including getting 65% of its energy from clean sources by 2030, the Arizona Republic reported.

Driving the news: APS also said Wednesday that the company — along with Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power, UniSource Energy Services and the city of Mesa — would get natural gas starting in 2029 from a planned 600-mile pipeline that will extend from west Texas to the Valley.

What they're saying: Corporation Commissioner Nick Myers praised APS on X for "backing off their Green New Deal style policies."

The other side: Attorney General Kris Mayes and Bill Mundell, both former corporation commissioners, told Axios that increased reliance on natural gas will allow APS to seek rate increases to cover the costs of new plants.

• Mayes called it a "serious setback" to clean energy and a "betrayal of Arizonans by APS."

In response, APS spokesperson Yessica Del Rincon told Axios that the company is still committed to reducing carbon emissions over time, and that its carbon neutrality plan "aligns with other utilities, including our neighboring utilities in Arizona."

• She added that demand for energy grows with Arizona's population, and it would be irresponsible for APS not to plan for the challenges ahead.
• APS won't be paying for additional natural gas transportation until after 2029 when the new pipeline is in service, she said, and any subsequent costs to customers will be evaluated through the Corporation Commission's ratemaking process.

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