CMPD end-of-year figures show Charlotte crime fell 9% in 2025, with violent offenses down sharply

Annual CMPD totals show broad declines, led by fewer violent crimes

Charlotte’s overall crime count fell 9% in 2025 compared with 2024, driven by a steep reduction in violent offenses and a more modest drop in property crimes, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s end-of-year public safety report released Jan. 15, 2026.

The report shows violent crime declined 21% citywide in 2025 while property crime decreased 6%. CMPD reported 5,852 violent offenses in 2025, down from 7,436 in 2024. Property crime totaled 35,112 offenses in 2025, down from 37,451 the year before.

How major categories changed from 2024 to 2025

Across the categories highlighted in the report, the largest year-over-year reductions were concentrated in violent crimes and vehicle-related offenses.

• Homicides: 96 in 2025, down from 110 in 2024.
• Aggravated assaults: 4,533 in 2025, down from 5,695 in 2024.
• Rapes: 172 in 2025, down from 242 in 2024.
• Robberies: 1,050 in 2025, down from 1,389 in 2024.
• Residential burglaries: 1,644 in 2025, down from 1,756 in 2024.
• Commercial burglaries: 2,346 in 2025, down from 2,546 in 2024.
• Larcenies from automobiles: 10,252 in 2025, down from 10,341 in 2024.
• Vehicle thefts: 5,960 in 2025, down from 7,442 in 2024.
• Arsons: 122 in 2025, down from 163 in 2024.

Policing activity increased as reported crime fell

CMPD’s report pairs the crime totals with operational metrics that the department says reflect increased enforcement and visibility. Total police interactions rose 5% in 2025 to 574,701. The department reported a 21% increase in officer-initiated proactive activity, a 23% increase in gun seizures, and a 14% increase in arrests.

CMPD also reported a homicide clearance rate of 79% for 2025.

Targeted initiatives and youth-focused work highlighted

The department cited several initiatives as part of its public-safety strategy, including a multi-agency “Operation Safe Season” effort focused on Uptown during early December. CMPD also reported restructuring its Crime Reduction Units in July 2025 to deploy based on real-time trends and intelligence; those units logged 2,389 traffic stops, made 781 arrests, and seized 480 firearms along with more than 148 pounds of narcotics.

On youth crime, CMPD reported incidents involving juveniles as suspects decreased 11% in 2025, including a 19% drop in juvenile property-crime suspects and a 9% drop in juvenile violent-crime suspects. The report describes the department’s juvenile intervention work as an ongoing effort that requires coordination beyond policing, including families and judicial and service partners.

Standards and context

CMPD said the annual statistics follow national standards set by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) summary statistics. The department framed the 2025 decreases as a citywide trend, while emphasizing continued focus on violent crime given its outsized impact on residents’ safety and quality of life.