Mayor Malik and Chief Harding Announce Decline in Akron’s Violent Crime Rates

Akron, Ohio, October 17, 2024 - Yesterday at a press conference, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, Police Chief Brian Harding, and Deputy Chief David Laughlin provided an update on Akron's violent crime numbers. Overall, the city has seen a significant decrease in violent crime from 2023 to 2024 year-to-date. The following data shows the declining trend:

• 33% decrease in the number of shootings and shots fired calls

• 38% decrease in the number of shootings into a habitation

• 25% overall decrease in the number of offenses where a firearm was used
• Last year at this time, Akron had 20 murders, compared to 15 this year. This is a 25% decrease.
• Out of the 35 combined murders from 2023 and 2024, the Akron Police Department made an arrest or signed a warrant on 23 of them, which is a 66% solve rate. (For reference, the national average for murder solve rate is 52%)
• 21% decrease in adult non-fatal shooting victims and juvenile non-fatal shooting victims

• 2% decrease in robberies
• 8% decrease in felonious assault
• 9% decrease in rapes

"We're happy to see Akron's violent crime numbers continuing to decline," said Mayor Malik. "I often say that public safety is the number one priority for our administration, so this marks a significant milestone as we continuously strive to make our community a safer place for all. I applaud our Akron Police Department and our community for the incredible work done to collaborate on this important issue, and I think we are seeing the success of those efforts."

"The decline we're seeing in Akron's violent crime rates is a step in the right direction for us as a community," Chief Harding said. "We will continue to work diligently to continue this trend. Even one shooting death is too many and any unsolved murder weighs on our department. But as we pause to acknowledge our strides, I want to thank our Akron officers, detectives, and leadership as well as our community as we all work together on public safety."

These statistics are available in a text document here and as data for the years 2022-2024 here.