District attorney cites falling violent crime, urges funding for victim services and specialized units

Larry Krasner, the elected district attorney for Philadelphia, told the Committee of the Whole that multiple major crime categories have fallen and argued the city’s investments in specialized prosecution units and community partners have helped produce results.

Krasner summarized his office’s size and scope—more than 650 people including over 300 attorneys—and emphasized work with contracted victim‑services providers. He asked council to authorize $347,276 that would flow to nine contracted victim‑services organizations. “Please understand this is not our money. Okay? We're not getting any of this. This is their money,” Krasner said, adding the funds are for groups that “provide absolutely essential work.”

The numbers: Krasner gave a suite of year‑to‑date comparisons through midnight before the hearing: homicide was down “almost a 26% decline” from the prior year, shooting incidents down about 16.44%, shooting victims down about 11.34%, robbery with a gun down almost 23%, residential burglary down about 11%, and auto theft down roughly 5.29%. He said 15 of 18 categories tracked by the Police Department were down year‑over‑year.

Law‑enforcement partnerships and investigations: Krasner described joint operations with federal and local partners to dismantle shooting groups and to pursue straw‑purchasing networks; he said one straw‑purchasing probe has led to lawsuits against gun dealers and at least one dealer surrendering a license. He also noted settlements and litigation that have limited certain ghost‑gun sales and referenced Polymer80’s bankruptcy and restrictions on JST Supply.

Conviction integrity and rehabilitation: Krasner described the office’s conviction‑integrity work and the utility of diversion programs. He highlighted a diversion program for people illegally possessing guns that, he said, reduced recidivism “by 3 out of 4” when compared to prosecutions that resulted in convictions.

Why it matters: Krasner framed the testimony as a defense of continuing investment in public‑safety prevention, forensics and victim services. He cited the need for a state‑of‑the‑art forensic laboratory as a continuing priority and said specialized units created with council support have yielded measurable public‑safety improvements.

Ending: Krasner and councilmembers agreed to follow up on the specific pass‑through funding for victim services and on program evaluations to measure diversionary program outcomes. Krasner said the victim services pass‑through would not increase his office’s operating budget but would fund outside nonprofit providers that assist victims and witnesses in prosecutions.