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Des Moines police report 8% drop in overall crime in 2024; drug possession cases rose after state law changes
Summary
Police presented a snapshot comparing 2023–24 crime indicators: overall crime down about 8%, burglaries down 43% and auto theft down 41%. Drug and alcohol offenses rose 283% after a period when possession enforcement was constrained by court and legislative changes; the department cautioned NIBRS versus older UCR comparisons can distort trends.
Police staff presented a data update showing an overall 8% decrease in reported crime in the most recent year, while highlighting uneven trends across categories.
The briefing said burglaries decreased about 43% and auto thefts about 41%, trends police attributed in part to enforcement and prosecutorial partnership. "Prosecutor Manuel has been very, very forward speaking and forward thinking on how to address some of these issues and really been a good partner in driving that down," police staff said. The department also reported an increase in drug- and alcohol-related offenses of about 283%; police staff explained that figure largely reflects a period of legal change in which possession had been effectively non-criminal in practice after a court ruling, followed by legislative restoration of misdemeanor possession, so enforcement numbers rose from a previously suppressed baseline.
Police staff emphasized how statistics are collected and compared, noting the department submits data under NIBRS and that older UCR-based figures are not directly comparable because UCR historically counted only the most serious offense per incident. The briefing also reviewed calls-for-service trends (the department said calls have stayed within about a 10% band over five years and referenced an earlier figure near 37,000 dispatch calls) and flagged a local increase in overdose deaths tied to fentanyl.
