Crime in Detroit, Michigan

Crime in Detroit, Michigan has decreased in many categories since the 1970s. In 2015, Detroit had its lowest number of criminal homicides in 40 years, and as of 2015, Detroit has the second highest murder rate in the United States. St. Louis now has the highest murder rate at 49.9 murders per 100,000, compared to Detroit's 43.5.

Crime is unevenly distributed throughout the city, with much of the violent crime emanating from selected neighborhoods in the upper east and central west. In 2008, the city unveiled a plan to revitalize these areas which include 7-Mile/Livernois, Brightmoor, East English Village, Grand River/Greenfield, North-End, and Osborn. A Michigan Metropolitan Information Center study has routinely shown crime in Downtown Detroit (CBD) is much lower than national, state and metro averages. In 2015, there were 295 murders in Detroit, down from 298 murders in 2014 and 316 murders in 2013. The total number of murders in Michigan increased to 571.

The percentage of murders committed with a gun is high in Detroit and this distorts the overall crime rate in Detroit making it appear more dangerous than it really is. 82% of homicides in Wayne County, Michigan, which includes Detroit, were committed with firearms between 2008 and 2013. In the United States as a whole in 2011, 67.6% of homicides involved a firearm. This leads to an inflated violent crime rate as most violent crimes do not involve guns. For example only 21% of aggravated assaults involve a gun. The murder rate in Detroit is 8.7 times the national average while the aggravated assault rate is only 4.7 times the national average. The property crime rate is only 1.6 times the national average Arson is a major problem with 842 reports of arson in 2015 and Detroit is famous for Devil's Night.

The Detroit Police Department's Crime Analysis Unit has reported that crimes have dropped by 24 percent since the introduction of casino gaming to the city. The number of homicides peaked in 1974 at 714 and again in 1991 with 615. By the end of 2010, the homicide count fell to 308 for the year with an estimated population of just over 900,000, the lowest count and rate since 1967. By 2012, however, the murder count had rebounded to 411, with 386 considered criminal homicides. According to a 2007 analysis, Detroit officials noted that about 65 to 70 percent of homicides in the city were confined to a narcotics catalyst. In 2013, Detroit's number of criminal homicides was 333, a reduction of 14% compared to 2012. However, taken in context by population, Detroit remains as a city with one of the highest rates per capita for homicide in the United States.