Cincinnati police report fewer shooting victims in 2024 but rising non‑shooting aggravated assaults, youth disorder and auto thefts

The Cincinnati Public Safety and Governance Committee heard a statistical review from Cincinnati Police Department officials showing a decline in shooting violence in 2024 alongside increases in other violent and property crimes, notably juvenile‑involved robberies and auto thefts.

Chief (Cincinnati Police Department) and Dr. Jillian Desmond of the department’s Crime Analysis and Problem Solving unit presented the department’s year‑end figures and trend analysis, and answered questions from committee members including Chair Scotty Johnson and Vice Mayor Jan Michelle Kearney.

The most immediate takeaway: “in 2024, we had 355 shooting victims, and that was 296 shooting incidences,” Chief said during the presentation. The department noted that 2024 was one of the few years since 2010 with fewer than 300 shooting incidents. Committee members were told the decline in shootings did not extend to all violent crime categories: aggravated assaults that did not involve firearms rose, driven in part by youth fights, stabbings and some domestic incidents.

Why it matters: the department said reductions in shooting violence reflect longer‑term, incremental gains since the 2020 spike that affected many U.S. cities, while other categories—especially property crime tied to youth activity and vehicle theft—require different responses.

Key figures and trends presented - Homicides: 71 victims in 2023 and 72 victims in 2024; the year‑over‑year increase reflected a multi‑victim stabbing described by the department as a triple homicide that was not firearm‑related. - Shooting…