Durham police report overall drops in violent and property crime; staffing climbs

The Durham Police Department told the City Council that overall violent crime is down nearly 20% through the second quarter of 2025 and that property crime fell about 4% over the same period.

Chief of Police Patrice Andrews presented the department's Q2 report and said the decline shows in several measures: 19 reportable homicides through the second quarter (17 classed as criminal homicides), a 33.6% decrease in persons shot, and reductions in robberies and aggravated assaults. "Violent crime being down nearly 20%" was how Andrews summarized the trend in her opening remarks.

The chief cautioned council members that citywide averages can obscure concentrated impacts: residents in neighborhoods with higher violence may not feel the citywide decline. She also highlighted the department's clearance performance, reporting homicide clearances around 89% and ongoing federal case adoptions that the department credits with reducing violent recidivism. Andrews said, "Since 01/01/2025 to 08/01/2025, there have been 44 total federal case adoptions," and noted Criminal Investigations Division adoptions over the past 24 months as well.

Andrews told the council that part of the department's progress stems from a focused effort to remove repeat violent offenders. She said those efforts have included close work with U.S. Attorney's Office task forces and the adoption of cases for federal prosecution.

The report also addressed shootings and firearms: the department seized 326 firearms through the second quarter, and noted an overall increase in firearms stolen since 2020, with a large share taken from motor vehicles. The chief said 73% of stolen guns reported in recent periods were taken from motor vehicles.

On staffing, Durham Police said recruiting and retention efforts are producing results. The department reported being 75.2% staffed at the time of the presentation (24.8% vacant). Andrews said the department will graduate a Basic Law Enforcement Training academy class of 10 recruits in the month following the report and that recruiting classes have grown, with higher Hispanic and female representation in recent intakes. "We're starting with 38 and we have 2 laterals that will be joining us," she said when describing the next academy class.

Council members asked for more spatial detail and age breakdowns for victims and offenders; Andrews agreed to provide neighborhood-level trends and noted that juveniles are increasingly involved in serious violent incidents in the city. Council members said they want richer demographic and geographic breakdowns to align prevention and school-based strategies.

The department said it will continue outreach on gun safety after hosting a firearm-safety clinic for residents and will press on with the recruiting and retention programs that their data show are improving staffing levels and investigative capacity.

Ending: The council did not take action on the report during the session; members thanked the chief and staff and asked for follow-up materials including neighborhood-level crime trends, age breakdowns for offenders and victims, and further detail on federal case adoptions.