El Paso Police arrest a migrant in front of Sacred Heart Church on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023.
San Diego, California – San Diego has recorded a sharp drop in homicides and overall crime in the first half of 2025, continuing a post-pandemic trend that mirrors statewide and national declines in violent crime. According to new data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the San Diego Police Department (SDPD), homicides dropped nearly 30% from the same period in 2024 and are now below pre-pandemic levels.
From January through June, San Diego saw 11 homicides, compared to 15 during the same stretch last year and 34 in the first half of 2023. The decline is part of a broader statewide trend, with cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose also reporting double-digit percentage decreases in killings. Only Sacramento bucked the pattern, recording a 10% increase.
San Diego’s overall crime statistics for 2024 — recently released by SDPD — offer further evidence of the city’s sustained gains in public safety. Citywide crime fell for the third consecutive year, dropping 1.5% in 2024 after a 2.7% decrease in 2023. More than 70% of all tracked crime categories declined. Notably, sexual assaults dropped 10.9%, non-fatal shootings fell 32%, and vehicle thefts declined by nearly 20%.
Crimes committed by gang members fell 11%, and the number of documented gang members in the city dropped by 31%. San Diego also recorded one of the lowest violent crime rates among major U.S. cities in 2024, with just 4.3 incidents per 1,000 residents.
City leaders have credited the ongoing decline to a combination of proactive policing, community partnerships, and technological tools such as license plate readers and smart streetlight cameras. Police Chief Scott Wahl called the numbers “a reflection of our officers’ dedication and the strength of our neighborhoods,” while also warning that the department would remain vigilant.
However, not all trends are moving in the right direction. Aggravated assaults remain elevated compared to 2019, with more than 2,100 reported so far in 2025 — a 33% increase from the same period five years ago. Reported rapes are also slightly up year-over-year.
At the federal level, questions remain about how law enforcement agencies like SDPD might be affected by President Trump’s proposal to link federal funding to local cooperation with mass deportation efforts. Cities that resist participation could face resource cuts, raising concerns about how declining crime trends might intersect with broader national policy shifts.
For now, San Diego’s data tells a story of cautious optimism — a city navigating the aftermath of a national crime spike with sustained, measurable progress.
