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Tuesday, August 05, 2025ABQ Crime Down? Yes, According To Latest APD Stats For The First Half Of Year; Numbers Set Stage For Debate In Mayoral Contest, Plus: First Half Santa Fe Crime Stats Paint Mixed Picture
That assertion always draws sneers as the headlines never cease informing us of the latest spree of violence. Nevertheless fresh stats for the first half of this year from APD show an overall decline in the city's crime rate over last year, a report sure to be touted by Mayor Tim Keller as he seeks re-election and perhaps one to be challenged by his six opponents. From the Downtown ABQ News: With citywide data now available through the first half of the year, all major categories of crime are down compared to the same period in 2024. Auto theft has dropped 40 percent, residential burglary is down 14 percent, and commercial burglary has fallen 24 percent. Taken together with shoplifting, those major nonviolent crimes are down 25 percent. Meanwhile, the three main categories of violent crime tracked by APD - aggravated assault, sex crimes, and robbery - are down 12 percent. Homicides, which make up their own category, have declined 28 percent. The closely watched murder rate went from 47 slayings in the first half of 2024 to 34 this year, says, APD, putting ABQ on track to finish the year below 80 homicides. In 2024, the city recorded 89 homicides, a rate of about 15.8 per 100,000 residents, higher than the national average of 6.5. 2023 saw 94 homicides. It's important to note that crime continues to creep down from historic levels so whether the electorate is "feeling it" remains crucial to the political impact of the apparent decline. The city credits APD finally hitting its stride for the drop. Some Republicans give Trump credit, citing his immigration enforcement and drug interdiction efforts as well as fostering a get tough environment toward criminals. Others say the stats are down because people are simply not reporting many crimes but that doesn't explain the decline in the highly reported violent crime category. One sticking point is the increase in gun violence by juveniles, a point made by MLG as she ponders a special legislative session dealing with crime and other matters. Dem gubernatorial candidate and Bernalillo County District Attory Sam Bregman has made youth violence a key plan of his tenure. DATELINE SANTA FE  Reports of some types of property crimes in Santa Fe have dropped in the first half of 2025, compared with the same period last year, while violent crimes have surged. City crime statistics at the year’s midpoint show a significant rise in alleged assaults — 33% — and sex crimes — 28% — while the numbers of reported burglaries, vehicle thefts and larcenies have decreased. The number of reported robberies, meanwhile, has remained steady. Overall, city police have seen a more than 6% increase in the total number of reports for the eight offenses tracked in the agency’s monthly report. . .The drop in reports of property crimes continues a trend of decreases seen in 2024. Reports of vehicle thefts have decreased more than 17% this year compared with the first half of 2024, after a 5% decrease in the overall numbers for 2024 compared with 2023. Vehicle thefts spiked in 2023, when the city saw 675 reports — the highest number recorded in a year, according to the department’s recent annual reports. Overall, residents of ABQ and Santa Fe can take heart that the peak rate of crime appears to be behind them as juvenile crime still casts a dark shadow. The battle for how the public perceives all his will be played out on the mayoral campaign trails over the next three months. This is the Home of New Mexico Politics. |
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