Phoenix’s homicide rate dropped 28% in 2024, police say

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department claims it experienced a drop in homicides in 2024, including a decrease in the number of juveniles arrested for murder.

On Wednesday, the city’s police department announced that data from the previous year shows a 28% drop in homicides and a 4% decrease in crime overall. The city’s final crime numbers are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2025.

According to Arizona Crime Statistics, Phoenix reported 191 cases of homicide in 2023, which was a decrease from the 217 cases reported in 2022.

Phoenix police also reported arresting fewer juveniles in murder-related cases. The agency said 23 juveniles were arrested for homicide in 2023 and only seven juveniles were arrested in 2024.

Phoenix police said its number of juvenile homicide victims also decreased in 2024.

Last summer, the city set out a crime-reduction plan that prioritized targeting prohibited possessors and violent offenders with outstanding warrants. That plan was announced around the same time the U.S. Department of Justice released its critical findings of a years-long investigation into Phoenix police. 

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How big is Maricopa County?

Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.

The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).

One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.

The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.

The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.