Canton police report drops in violent and property crime but note increases in homicides and B&E

Canton Police Chief Gabbard presented the department's 2025 summary to council, saying the city has seen multi-year declines in many crime categories even as some specific measures rose.

"In 2025, again, for the fourth consecutive year, crime, violent crime, and property crime, have decreased overall, in the city of Canton," the chief told council. He said violent crime is down roughly 23% compared with the recent peak and that property crime is about 30% lower on a five-year trend.

The chief also reported that homicides rose from five in 2023 to 12 in 2024, and that a majority of those were tied to domestic situations: "A vast majority were related to domestic situations...8 out of our 12 were related to a domestic situation." He said two 2024 homicides were later ruled self-defense by a grand jury but remain counted in totals.

Breaking-and-entering (B&E) showed a significant uptick: the chief said there were about 56 more B&E reports in 2025 than in 2024, with repeat locations cited in several neighborhoods and sites such as former industrial properties targeted for scrap theft. He described tactical responses and arrests in those areas.

The chief highlighted public-health gains: overdose deaths in Canton were down about 44% year over year and are 85% lower than a five-year average for overdose deaths, he said. Use-of-force incidents were down roughly 20% in 2025 compared with 2024, and citizen complaints to the department were nearly halved.

Council members asked whether expanded drone capability might help respond to verified shots-fired incidents and the chief said earlier aerial information could be helpful but would not replace priority-setting for officers on scene.

The presentation concluded with the chief urging continued focus on strategies that have reduced many crime categories while acknowledging new challenges such as B&E and certain firearm incident types.