Erie officials cite grants, staffing and new tools as drivers of sharp decline in violent crime

Erie Mayor Shember and Chief Dan Spizzarny on Monday presented the Erie Police Department's third‑quarter crime report and credited a mix of grant funding, staffing increases and new technology with steep reductions in violent crime. Chief Spizzarny said the department reduced homicides 57% in 2024 and that confirmed "shots fired" incidents fell 67% between 2021 and 2024.

"In 2024, the Erie Police Department reduced the number of homicides by 57%," Chief Dan Spizzarny said, later adding, "We decreased confirmed shots fired by 67 percent." Spizzarny also told the press conference that the department cleared 100% of homicides over the last four years, compared with a national average he said is "just over 50%." He noted one homicide investigation remains open and is being actively worked by detectives.

Spizzarny outlined the scale of demand on the department: calls for service rose from about 45,000 in 2020 to 61,395 in 2024, and he said Erie is on track for more than 63,000 calls in 2025 (about 1,200 calls per week). He provided year‑by‑year counts used to illustrate the decline in gun incidents: "shots fired" incidents moved from 311 to 239 to 194 to 104 and 56 in the most recent reporting period cited by the department. Through the department's most recent reporting window, Spizzarny said there were 10 people shot in 2025 and six homicides in 2025, below Erie’s 10‑year average of 10 homicides per year.

Officials said those trends were driven in part by targeted investments. Spizzarny listed roughly $14,000,000 of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to reinstate the crisis car, reestablish a juvenile unit, add school‑based officers, and the city’s purchase of the former Kohler Brewery (Miller Brothers) facility on State Street for a future public safety complex and emergency operations center. He also said the city has obtained more than $25,000,000 in grants that paid for items including bulletproof vests, motorcycles, e‑bikes, patrol vehicles, a real‑time crime center, two regional SWAT command/response vehicles, a bomb squad vehicle and equipment, and a crisis communications van.

Spizzarny named specific grants and award programs supporting those purchases: a $3,100,000 Department of Justice COPS hiring grant, a $1,200,000 award from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and a $1,000,000 Department of Justice grant for encouraging innovation. He said if these funds continue to be available, the city can maintain a sworn complement of 194 officers through at least 2029.

The chief also described investments in forensics, training and field technology: DNA testing kits, an auto‑theft and cold‑case detective, a civilian analyst for crime‑figure study, virtual reality training and driver simulation devices, body‑worn cameras, license‑plate readers on 38 frontline vehicles plus fixed readers at intersections, and ShotSpotter gun‑detection sensors.

On community engagement, Spizzarny said the Police Athletic League and COP programs expanded from 35 students and six officers at one school to more than 2,000 students, 29 locations and 120 officers involved; he said certified bicycle officers rose to 35 and the K‑9 unit was recently reinstated.

Mayor Shember praised the department's multi‑strategy approach and the partnerships used to secure funding and regional support. In recognition of his service, the mayor presented Chief Spizzarny with a key to the city at the end of the news conference.

The figures and program descriptions reported at the press conference are the department's official statements to date. Officials did not provide independent verification of the national homicide clearance comparison cited by the chief. Chief Spizzarny and Mayor Shember said they were available for interviews following the event.