2025 numbers among fewest homicide cases since 1990, police say

Homicides are down in Denver by 48% in 2025 compared to the year before, police said, citing the city’s focus on areas where violent crimes have persisted as a reason for the crime reduction.

Police said part of that strategy is dismantling criminal networks. They also worked to remove firearms from the streets and deployed technology to fight crime.

The city had 37 homicides in 2025, compared to 70 in 2024, police said.

“Making Denver safer continues to be the goal of the Denver Police Department, and while homicides and other notable crime categories are seeing strong declines, we still have work to do,” Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said in a news release.

When considering population growth, 2025 had the second lowest homicide rate going back to 1990, police said.

In the same news release, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said residents “deserve to live in the safest city in the country.”

Denver’s trend mirrors the downward crime trajectory in Colorado in the last several years.

Violent and property crime rates in Denver and Aurora saw sharp declines over three years, though Colorado’s most populous city still led the list in violent crimes, according to a report released a few months ago.

Denver’s crime rates have declined steadily since 2022, according to the Common Sense Institute. Still, Denver topped the list of cities in violent crimes, with more than 234 per 100,000 people, the report said.

Aurora also saw a noticeable decline since its 2022 apex, which, at the time, ranked it as the most violent city in the state with 318 crimes per 100,000.

In its news release, the city of Denver attributed the decline in homicide cases to several initiatives, notably enhanced resources devoted to downtown Denver.

In particular, the Johnston administration dedicated a mounted patrol to the area and added a satellite police kiosk. The Denver Police Department also created extra foot patrols and increased motorcycle and E-bike patrols.

The police department said it implemented a strategy that focuses on identifying and investigating areas where violent crime has been persistent. The city said that last year saw “zero firearm homicides or non-fatal shootings in four of the seven identified PNI locations.”

Under this approach, the police and other agencies would make contact with businesses and residents and identify “tangible efforts to reduce the criminal activity,” the department said.

Once a “corrupting location” has been identified, it triggers several measures, including licensing actions, civil public nuisance abatement cases, and criminal charges, the department said. The strategy also includes increased lighting, reopening shuttered businesses and enhancing police visibility.

The police also said officers have “quickly and effectively” investigated homicides and shootings to arrest offenders.

Toward this end, detectives achieved an 81% clearance rate, while the average national rate in 2024 stood at 61%, according to the police agency.

Additionally, the Firearms Assault Shoot Team achieved a 67% clearance rate, the department added.

Non-fatal shootings decreased by 33.5% last year, which translates to 71 fewer shooting victims, compared to 2024.

The police department also touted its use of HALO cameras and drones to help quickly locate suspects and capture video evidence. Police said that an automated license plate reader network assisted with 352 arrests and led to the recovery of 251 vehicles and 39 firearms.

Notably, that system had been instrumental in investigating two homicide cases, as well as numerous nonfatal shootings, armed robberies, and hit-and-run cases, police said.

They also said that officers recovered 1,885 firearms as case evidence, which equated to about five guns removed from our streets each day.

That also means “1,885 fewer guns that could potentially be used in the commission of a crime,” the department said.