Homicides down almost 40% to start the year

Richmond has seen 12 homicides through the end of March – down 38% from last year (19) and the best start to a year since before COVID. Most remarkably, there have been only 2 homicides in South Richmond this year – down from 11 at this time in 2023. For some historical perspective, there had been 37 killings by the end of March in 1994.

Crime in general is down across the city for Jan-Mar 2024 compared to the same time period in 2023. The RPD’s Crime Incident Information reports a total of total of 7,141 incidents so far in 2024, a 5.5% drop from the 7,560 in 2023.

Assaults are down from 746 to 689, burglaries fell from 200 to 168, and sex offenses dropped from 66 to 18. Robberies are up from 70 to 78, and vehicle theft is *way* up from 303 to 467.