Detroit partnerships result in another historic drop in violent crime in 2024; fewest homicides since 1965, shootings & carjackings plummet

Preliminary numbers show Detroit ended 2024 with 203 criminal homicides, down 19% from last year’s 57-year low and down 33% since 2022
Non-fatal shootings down 25% in 2024, cut nearly in half from two years ago
Carjackings down 16% in 2024, capping a 71% drop since 2015
ShotStoppers 2024 success adds to success of multi-agency law enforcement partnerships

Violent crime in 2024 in Detroit continued to plummet at historic rates. Detroit ended 2024 with 203 criminal homicides, a 19% drop from 2023, and its fewest homicides its fewest 1965, a coalition of city, county, state, federal and community leaders announced today.

Preliminary 2024 numbers also show that Detroit ended the year with 606 non-fatal shootings – a 25% drop from the previous year and a stunning 48% drop from just two years ago. Carjackings saw a 15% decline in 2024, capping an incredible 71% reduction since 2015 when Project Green Light began.

Mayor Mike Duggan said the dramatic and sustained reductions represent an historic shift in Detroit.

“This coalition came together two years ago to try to reverse the spike in violent crime during Covid,” said Mayor Duggan. “What’s happened is far more remarkable.”

While official 2024 numbers may change slightly as some cases conclude ongoing investigations, preliminary data show that Detroit recorded the following numbers for those crimes:

Crime category 2023 2024 % change +/-

Homicides 252 203 -19%

Nonfatal Shootings 804 606 -25%

Carjackings 167 142 -15%

Police Chief Todd Bettison added: “This tremendous progress is occurring only because we have a team of city, county, state, federal and community partners that are all working with a shared vision and strategy.”

The Mayor and Chief Todd Bettison thanked all partners involved in the work, including:

Wayne County officials including Executive Warren Evans, Prosecutor Kym Worthy, Sheriff Raphael Washington
Federal officials including US Attorney Dawn Ison, as well as the FBI, AFT and Department of Homeland Security
Michigan State Police and Michigan Department of Corrections
Leadership of the courts, including 3rd Circuit Court Chief Judge Pat Fresard and 65th District Court Chief Judge William McConico
Detroit-Wayne Integrated Health Network
The City’s six ShotStoppers community violence intervention groups: Detroit Friends & Family, Force Detroit, New Era Detroit, Detroit 300, People’s Community and Wayne Metro

The city’s overall crime showed a reduction in all major categories, including a 7% drop in overall violent crime and a 4% drop in property crime.

The result came from a coordinated effort of government and community agencies:

Detroit Police Department

Building on success of 2023, DPD continued to add new strategies and resources to reduce gun violence:
1. Developed a new Neighborhood Response Team supported by a central team of 80 officers to respond early to illegal street parties, who were called in to prevent threats to neighborhood safety from illegal block parties.
2. Elevated citizen 911 calls for illegal street parties to Priority 1 calls for earlier response.
3. Successfully recruited and retained police officers and now have 99% of all sworn positions filled (2,634 filled out of 2,672 positions total). There was a net increase of 195 sworn officers in 2023 and 144 sworn officers in 2024. That brings to 339 the net number of officers on the street following the November 2022 $10,000 pay hike.
4. Expanded use of Evolv scanners at large gatherings to prevent illegal weapons from being brought in, including at the NFL Draft in April, which drew more than 775,000 visitors to the city over three days with no significant incidents.

Federal Partnership

US Attorney Dawn Ison has led the One Detroit summer crime reduction strategy, in areas that had been experiencing the highest rate of gun crimes. One Detroit combined increased federal prosecution for gun crimes and gang activities, combined with active prevention outreach efforts, including highly attended community “Peacenics.”

Since 2022, the program has helped to generate major reductions in violence in the scout car areas targeted by One Detroit, including a 44% reduction in homicides and nonfatal shootings. In addition, the ATF and DEA coordinated efforts with US Attorney Ison to dramatically increase enforcement of gun crimes:

6,211 guns recovered
4,753 casings entered into the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN)
2,599 investigative leads generated by NIBIN
600 search warrants served
1,700 felony arrests
180 individuals charged federally

“The One Detroit Violence Reduction Partnership committed to reducing violent crime in Detroit while fostering legitimacy through engagement, coordination, and action. Our motto is, 'We won’t stop fighting for a better, safer Detroit,' and we haven’t,” stated United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “We remained committed to the principles that have guided our work for three years: focus, balance, and fairness. We aggressively focused on our enforcement work, but balanced that work by joining with the community, faith partners, and credible messengers to prevent crime.

“Instead of leading the nation in violence, we are being recognized nationally for our reductions in violent crime. I salute Chief Todd Bettison, former Chief James White, and all the officers of the Detroit Police Department who worked so hard to help achieve these results,” Ison added.

"Gun violence affects everyone. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is dedicated to rigorously pursuing, identifying, and prosecuting violent offenders, particularly those engaged in gun-related crimes and gang violence,” said ATF Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “Our strong partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, are critical to ensuring the safety of our communities.”

"Through our strong partnership with the Detroit Police Department, the FBI Detroit Field Office is proud to support initiatives aimed at reducing crime in Detroit throughout 2024," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "By working closely together, we are contributing to a safer environment for Detroit residents, which directly supports our mission to protect the American people and uphold the U.S. Constitution. We encourage the public to report any suspicious or violent behavior to local law enforcement by calling 911 or contacting the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be submitted securely online at tips.fbi.gov."

County Partnership

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans led a coordinated effort across the County law enforcement departments and the courts. A new Wayne County Prosecutors contract provided a 15% increase, making Wayne County competitive with the surrounding counties and a new Wayne County Sheriff’s contract gave starting deputies a 24% increase, allowing Sheriff Washington to begin filling 200 vacancies. Executive Evans is now leading a new initiative to reduce juvenile gun violence.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy increased coordination with DPD on shooting and homicide cases. The Prosecutor co-located assistant prosecutors at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters to create a seamless line of communication between the Prosecutor’s Office and DPD Homicide Unit, resulting in pending homicide warrants being reduced 25%.

Wayne County Sheriff Rafael increased accountability for defendants released on tether to the Wayne County Sheriff. Approximately 85% of tethered defendants have movement restrictions in their release orders, which are monitored and enforced on a real-time basis by the Sheriff’s Department

The Fugitive Apprehension Service Team (FAST) unit is a joint fugitive apprehension unit of DPD and the Wayne County Sheriff. In 2024, FAST apprehended more than 1,000 individuals with outstanding felony warrants, prioritizing those wanted for gun crime.

Court Partnership

Chief Judge Patricia Fresard and the Judges of the Wayne County Circuit Court reduced the backlog of felony gun cases by 3,000 cases, bringing justice and closure to victims and those accused.

Chief Judge William McConico and the Judges of the 36th District Court reduced the felony gun case backlog by nearly 1,700, restoring the court’s operations to pre-Covid levels.

State Partnership

Heidi Washington and the Michigan Department of Corrections enhanced enforcement for those on Probation and Parole. MDOC identified individuals who were most likely to illegally possess firearms while on probation and worked with the courts to secure updated probation orders that allowed for additional searches and compliance checks to be carried out by the MDOC and law enforcement partners. The resulting arrests helped take more guns off the streets.

Michigan State Police became a critical partner in 2023’s successful crackdown on drag racing and drifting. MSP air support helped monitor illegal activities from above and allowed the tracking and arrest of drivers of fleeing vehicles without the danger of high-speed DPD traffic pursuits. This partnership has yielded impressive results:

85 vehicles impounded
115 felony arrests
75 weapons recovered
15 stolen vehicles recovered

Governor Whitmer and the State Legislature approved $3 million to allow DPD to add 25 new staff to Detroit’s Neighborhood Police Officer and mental health units to extend proactive efforts to prevent gun violence.

Community Partnerships

The City's six ShotStoppers groups made a tremendous impact on the city’s rate of violent crime in its most persistent hotspots. In the quarter of August – October 2024, all six groups beat the citywide average 35% violent crime reduction outside the six CVI zones, several by incredible margins:
CVI Group   Aug-Oct Change
Non-CVI Zones             -35%
New Era              -37%
Detroit 300           -47%
Force Detroit           -52%
Wayne Metro/Denby Alliance/Camp Restore -61%
Detroit People’s Community       -73%
Detroit Friends & Family        -83%

“Force Detroit along with our partners are extremely grateful to all the individuals and community members who have been impacted by the cycle of violence,” said Zoe Kennedy. “Those who have decided not perpetuated violence, who’ve decided not to open fire around children, who’ve decided not to open fire around our elders, who have decided not open fire on homes! Who have decided to resolve conflicts before they escalated, who’ve decided to change the narrative. Who have committed to bettering their lives! Who have decided not to put their loved ones or others loved ones at risk of violence. Who decided to love themselves!”

DPD’s partnership with Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) has become a national example of policing that is conscious of and sensitive to the fact that many of the individuals they encounter may be experiencing some form of emotional crisis. To address this, DPD and DWIHN have developed a training program and Crisis Intervention Team co-response protocol that has helped police and mental health professionals to deescalate situations and prevent individuals from harming themselves or others. In 2023, the CIT responded to 2,770 runs.

“I am extremely proud of the exemplary work done by the fine men and women of the Detroit Police Department that I have had the privilege of working alongside for nearly 29 years,” said former Chief of Police and newly appointed DWIHN President/CEO James E. White. “I am confident in the strategies set forth by Chief Todd Bettison and look forward to the continued partnership between DPD and DWIHN."

“Our Co-Response partnership alone has supported over 450 individuals who received various mental health, substance use and homelessness resources last year. DWIHN was also front and center supporting DPD in its successful safety efforts during the NFL Draft in which 30 mental health professionals assisted officers during the three-day event. It is through community partnerships and collaborations like we have established with law enforcement agencies that will help people in dire need of getting the assistance they so desperately need,” said White.

A virtual copy of the slides can be found here.