Concerns about crime have remained at the center of voter discussions through the past two election cycles.
But a new report indicates that violent crime has fallen sharply in several of the nation’s largest cities.
Homicides declined 17.3% from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, 2026, compared with the same period in 2025, according to a survey of 66 U.S. law enforcement agencies conducted by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA). The analysis tracked homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Robberies fell 13.3%, aggravated assaults dropped 4% and reported rapes declined 3.8%.
Federal law enforcement officers stand at the intersection of Beale Street and North Second Street on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Memphis recorded the largest overall decline among the cities included in the report, with crime down 29% from 2025. Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed closely with a decrease of nearly 29%, while Indianapolis reported a 24% reduction in violent crime.
Tulsa posted the steepest drop in homicides, with killings down 71%, the MCCA found. Homicides declined 65% in Aurora, Colorado, and 59% in Newark, New Jersey.
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Reported rape cases fell by 50% in Buffalo, New York. Tulsa recorded a 37% decline, while Memphis saw rapes decrease 28%.
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Indianapolis has experienced a consistent decline in crime across all of its districts, according to the police department’s public affairs office, which spoke with News Outlet.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has focused on removing illegal firearms as part of its effort to curb violent crime. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Officials credit several initiatives and partnerships for the decline, including a task force designed to take illegal guns out of “the hands of individuals who use them to commit crimes.”
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“The entire city benefits when crime goes down,” a department spokesperson wrote in an email. “This isn’t something that benefits just one neighborhood or one group of people; it benefits everyone who lives, works and visits Indianapolis.”
A separate review by the National Council on Criminal Justice examined possible reasons for the broader decline in homicides nationwide.
Members of the Memphis Safe Task Force, FBI and local police patrol the Beale Street entertainment district in downtown Memphis on Oct. 16, 2025. (REUTERS/Karen Pulfer Focht)
Researchers pointed to proactive policing and deterrence efforts as possible contributors. They also said a return to greater social and economic stability after the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic may be helping drive crime lower.
The trend is not limited to major metropolitan areas. Smaller communities are reporting historically low crime levels as well.
In central Florida, Polk County’s crime rate has reached a 54-year low, Sheriff Grady Judd told News Outlet.
“Our index crime, rapes, robberies, murders, thefts, grand thefts, burglaries and auto thefts are at historic lows in this county,” Judd said.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd credits tough-on-crime policies with driving violent crime sharply lower. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Judd attributes the results to the sheriff’s office’s tough-on-crime approach and its cooperation with the local state attorney.
“We don’t keep this a secret. I tell people up front, ‘Hey, if you do this, you’re going to jail. We’re going to arrest you.’”
“If you get online and solicit prostitution, we’re going to arrest you,” he said. “If you get online and engage in or attempt human trafficking involving children or adults, we’re going to arrest you. If you are a sexual predator targeting children online, we’re going to arrest you and send you to prison for a very long time.”
