Chicago Violent Crime Plunges Under Mayor Johnson
Chicago has recorded historic declines in violent crime during Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first two years in office, according to city data. In the first six months of 2025, homicides fell by 33 percent and shootings declined by 38 percent compared to earlier periods, marking one of the sharpest downturns in decades. The improvements follow major changes to policing strategy, including an increase in detectives and a reorganization of the Chicago Police Department’s detective bureau. As a result, the homicide clearance rate has risen to 77.4 percent, the highest level in more than ten years.
Johnson’s administration has paired enforcement reforms with initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of violence. The city has doubled the number of mental health professionals assigned to crisis response, expanded youth summer employment programs by nearly 50 percent, and strengthened partnerships between police and community-based violence intervention groups. Year-to-date statistics underscore the breadth of progress: violent crime overall has declined by 21.6 percent, homicides are down 32.3 percent, shooting incidents have dropped 37.4 percent, multi-victim shootings are down 44.6 percent, robberies have fallen 31.9 percent, carjackings are down 49 percent, and aggravated assaults have decreased 18.1 percent.
The downward trend has been widely reported across local and national media. CBS2 Chicago noted growing calls to expand successful community programs. Bloomberg highlighted falling murder rates in both Manhattan and Chicago, while WTTW Chicago reported shootings and homicides down more than 30 percent in the first half of the year. The Trace observed a sharp decline in July Fourth weekend shootings, and WGN Chicago described this year’s holiday as the least violent in six years. The Chicago Tribune reported that violent crime has dropped to levels not seen in a decade, PBS News called the trend “historic,” FOX32 cited a one-third decline in homicides, and WBEZ noted that April saw fewer murders than any since 1962. Additional coverage from ABC7, CBS2, WTTW, and other outlets has reinforced the narrative of a sustained decline across nearly every category of violent crime from late 2023 through mid-2025.
