San Diego's Police Chief Scott Wahl, flanked by Mayor Todd Gloria, recently laid out the latest crime figures for 2024, shedding light on an ongoing trend of decreasing crime rates within this coastal metropolis. The San Diego Police Department highlighted a 1.5% dip overall, and in the third year, these numbers have trended downward, making San Diego one of the safest large cities in the United States.
At the core of these encouraging statistics lies a thoughtful collaboration between precise policing, technological advancement, and the unwavering support of community partnerships—a trio that Wahl acknowledges with deep respect and gratitude, punctuating his statement with a warning to those with malicious intentions, criminal behavior will not be tolerated in San Diego, according to an email sent by the San Diego Police Department. Violent crimes notably dived, with murders seeing a significant 22.2% decrease, whereas non-fatal shootings and sexual assaults dropped by 32% and 10.9% respectively, and property crimes also followed suit, decreasing by a substantial 4.7%.
Motor vehicle thefts were particularly impacted, plunging by 19.5%, a statistic partly attributed to advanced Smart Streetlight cameras and automated license plate reader technology. Meanwhile, hate crime reports followed the general trend, reducing from 66 to 60 instances, and gang-related criminal activity also registered a fall, with gang member crimes and the number of documented gang members falling by 11% and 31%, respectively. These improvements reflected the focused efforts of the department and community to counteract such organized criminal activity.
