News Summary
The FBI’s recent crime report highlights a notable decline in crime rates nationwide, with murder rates dropping to their lowest since 2015. The report reveals a 14.9% decrease in murder rates, as well as decreases in violent and property crimes. In Tallahassee, crime trends mirror national reductions, showing a 15-20% decrease in violent crime in 2024. Despite some fluctuations in property crime, the overall findings present an encouraging trend in improved safety across communities, enhanced by law enforcement efforts.
Tallahassee – The FBI released its 2024 crime report on August 5, 2025, revealing a significant decrease in various crime rates across the United States. The report indicates a 14.9% drop in murder rates, marking the lowest rate since 2015. Overall, violent crime decreased by 4.4% and property crime dropped by 8.1%.
The national murder rate for 2024 stands at 5 per 100,000 population, which is a decline of 26% from 2020 figures and is slightly lower than levels recorded before the pandemic. In an impressive achievement, all seven categories of crime reported by the FBI saw decreases across all 10 population groups measured. The national violent crime rate also reached a historic low of 359.1 per 100,000, the lowest since 1969.
Notably, the report suggested an expected continuation of the decline in murder rates into 2025, with an anticipated drop of around 10%, potentially resulting in the lowest murder rate ever recorded. Murder rates in large cities with populations of 1 million or more and those under 10,000 both experienced a 19% decline in 2024.
Alongside the decline in murder rates, the property crime rate in 2024 was reported at 1,760 per 100,000, the lowest since 1961, with the 8.1% decrease marking the largest annual drop in recent history. A significant factor in this decline was a 19% drop in motor vehicle theft, adding to the overall decrease in property crime.
In Tallahassee, the trends followed the national patterns, with a reported 15-20% decrease in violent crime incidents in 2024, surpassing the national average. The city experienced a smaller decline of 3.5% in property crime; however, incidents in 2025 show a notable 38% drop. Despite a rise in fatal shooting incidents from 23 in 2023 to 26 in 2024, translating to approximately 8.6 fatalities per 100,000 residents, which exceeds the national murder rate, the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) achieved a remarkable 100% homicide clearance rate for the year.
Throughout 2024, the TPD closed all 18 homicide investigations, maintaining a clearance rate significantly above the national average of around 56%. In its efforts to tackle violent crime, TPD assisted in 313 violent crime cases and made 164 arrests, also executing significant seizures of cannabis and firearms. The department worked on nearly 10,000 property crime cases which resulted in 243 arrests.
In contrast to the decline in violent crime, the annual report indicated that property crimes were showing fluctuations. TPD’s campaign, “lock it or lose it,” successfully reduced vehicle thefts, yet 71 firearms were reported stolen from unlocked cars as of July 1, 2025. The Capital Region Real-Time Crime Center provided exceptional support, conducting over 64,000 license plate reader reviews, ultimately assisting in 8,972 cases.
New technological advancements including artificial intelligence for report writing and drones for initial response to calls are anticipated to further enhance TPD operations and efficiency into 2025.
This annual FBI crime report indicates an encouraging trend of reducing crime rates across the nation, showcasing the effectiveness of law enforcement strategies and community safety initiatives.
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Additional Resources
- Tallahassee Police Annual Report 2024
- Wikipedia: Crime in the United States
- FBI Releases 2024 Crime Numbers
- Google Search: 2024 Crime Report
- TPD Experimenting with AI Police Reports
- Google Scholar: Crime Reporting Technology
- TPD Annual Report Highlights
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Crime
- Tallahassee Crime Incidents Fall
- Google News: Tallahassee Crime 2025
Author: STAFF HERE TALLAHASSEE WRITER
The TALLAHASSEE STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HERETallahassee.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Tallahassee, Leon County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Springtime Tallahassee, Tallahassee Jazz & Blues Festival, and LeMoyne Chain of Parks Art Festival. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and United Way of the Big Bend, plus leading businesses in education, healthcare, and insurance that power the local economy such as Florida State University, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, and Capital Health Plan. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREJacksonville.com, HEREOrlando.com, HEREStPetersburg.com, and HERETampa.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Florida's dynamic landscape.
