DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Durham leaders are celebrating an overall decline in crime.
“It has been a long time coming, but I think we are reforming the way community safety looks,” Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams said.
Police Chief Patrice Andrews presented the department’s second quarter crime report to the city council Thursday afternoon.
Police Chief Patrice Andrews presented the department’s second quarter crime report to the city council on Thursday afternoon. (Ben Bokun)
Violent crime including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault is down nearly 20 percent. Still, Andrews said it’s not a citywide trend.
“If you live in a community where you are most affected by violent crime, when we present these numbers and see it’s down, you’re obviously going to say ‘not in my area it’s not,'” Andrews said.
Property crime including burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft is down about four percent.
However, officials said one harrowing trend is keeping officers busy — Juvenile Crime.
“It’s a disturbing pattern, but our juveniles are not committing what I call minor offenses,” Andrews said.
Juvenile crime is up more than 20 percent, according to the report.
From January through June of 2024, there were 289 juvenile criminal offenses compared to 350 during the same time period this year.
“We’re seeing juveniles that are committing violent crimes to include homicide and it’s very troubling,” Andrews said.
Still, city leaders are commemorating the overall drop in crime. They said it’s taken a holistic approach, and an effort from the entire community.
“We’re not there yet, but we are trending in the right direction and we are going to get better at it,” Williams said. “I think we’re in a better position than most.”
The crime report also shows overall homicides in the second quarter of the year fell to 19. That number currently sits at 25 so far this year, according to Andrews.
Police also said the department is making progress in trying to fill significant staffing shortages. Andrews said recruiters have helped improve the sworn officer vacancy rate to 24.8 percent.
