Chicago Records Safest Summer Since 1965

Chicago has experienced its safest summer in decades, with homicide numbers dropping to the lowest level since 1965, according to data from the Chicago Police Department reported by WBEZ. Between June and August 2025, the city recorded 123 homicides, a dramatic contrast to previous years when numbers were far higher, including 244 in 1974, 228 in 1995, 242 in 2016, and 274 in 2021.

Mayor Brandon Johnson attributed the progress to a combination of city leadership and law enforcement efforts. “While the numbers from this summer are encouraging, we are redoubling our efforts to continue to drive down violent crime,” Johnson said, adding that the historic progress was proof that a progressive approach to community safety is effective. He stressed that the city’s ultimate goal is zero homicides, to be reached through constitutional policing and continued investments in Chicago residents.

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling pointed to improvements in the Bureau of Detectives that lifted the homicide clearance rate to 74 percent, the highest in over ten years. “The heroic men and women of the Chicago Police Department have worked to reduce violence and make every community safer throughout our city,” Snelling noted. He emphasized that while the crime reduction represents progress, more must be done to prevent violence, arrest offenders, and support families traumatized by crime.

Officials explained that the decline is the result of coordinated actions between CPD and the Mayor’s Office for Community Safety under initiatives such as the People’s Plan for Community Safety, which seeks to address the root causes of violence through community-led strategies. Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood said, “Our partnerships with CPD, Community Violence Intervention, community-based organizations, and City departments have played a pivotal role in driving down crime and violence.”

Comparing the summer of 2024 with the same months in 2025, data showed significant reductions across major categories: overall violent crime fell by 23 percent, homicides decreased by nearly half at 46.7 percent, shootings dropped 42.6 percent, robberies declined 33.7 percent, and carjackings went down 45.6 percent.

WBEZ’s analysis noted that while federal officials had at times raised the possibility of deploying additional agents or even the National Guard in response to Chicago’s violent crime rates, city data revealed a sharp and historic decrease, unmatched since before many current residents were born.

City leaders credited stronger police leadership under Superintendent Snelling as well as expanded investments in youth jobs programs, affordable housing, public education, and the involvement of ex-offenders mediating disputes through community-based violence intervention efforts. Criminologists also highlighted broader economic and social factors, including increased investment in jobs, infrastructure, and social services since the pandemic, as critical drivers of the decline.

So far this year, violent crime overall has fallen by more than 20 percent compared with last year, continuing the trend of improvement across the city.