US cities largely saw a drop in violent crime in 2024, yet many still feel unsafe [Video]

Public Relations

Post author By Curator
Post date January 19, 2025

FILE – Police officers stand guard near the house where a suspect has been taken into custody on New York’s Long Island on July 14, 2023, in Massapequa Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File) (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

PHILADELPHIA – As U.S. police departments release preliminary or finalized 2024 crime numbers, many are reporting historic declines in homicides and drops in other violent crimes compared to 2023.

In many parts of the country, though, those decreases don’t match the public perception.

Experts say most cities are seeing a drop in crime levels that spiked during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But they say misleading campaign rhetoric in the runup to the November elections and changes in how people interpret news about crime have led to a perception gap.

“The presence of even one murder has a great cost,” said Kim Smith, the …