Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell Thursday reported the city’s 2025 homicide rate was the lowest since the 1950s.
McDonnell touted the homicide rate for 2025 stood at 5.9 per 100,000 residents, the lowest rate per capita since 1959. The 230 deaths last year contrasted starkly with the record-1,077 in 1993.
Last year, the department recorded a significant reduction in crimes against residents, most notably in homicides and shooting victims, according to data from LAPD’s annual review of crime and initiatives report.
A total of 230 homicides were reported in 2025 compared to 284 homicides in 2024, representing a 19% decrease. The number of shooting victims declined from 981 in 2024 to 899 in 2025, representing a 8% decrease.
The report showed that efforts to reduce gun violence led to a sustained increase in the recovery of firearms. In 2025, LAPD seized 8,650 firearms, which officials say directly contributed to the reductions in shootings and homicides.
“Two-hundred and thirty homicides is 230 too many,” McDonnell said during a news conference in downtown Los Angeles. “But I go back to 1993, our highest year, we had almost 1,100 homicides in the city of L.A. So the reduction there of 75-plus percent is something we should be celebrating and building on.”
“I think too often, the community doesn’t appreciate the partnership that we enjoy with them, and the impact that has on crime, and the success that we can see as a result. So public safety is a team sport, and we need everybody to be on the team,” McDonnell added.
The chief noted there were 61 homeless-related homicides, an increase of 20% increase by division area, and there were 100 gang-related homicides, a 4% decrease compared to the previous year.
There were a total of 290 fatal traffic collisions in 2025, representing a 6% decrease from the prior year, but marked the third year in a row in which traffic-related fatalities exceeded homicides, McDonnell said.
Burglary and organized retail theft remained top priorities for the department, according to the annual report.
“Citywide, investigators dismantled prolific burglary and retail theft crews, conducted operations at high theft locations and built strong partnerships with retailers, loss prevention teams, and business associations,” the report read. “These coordinated efforts led to significant arrests, felony filings, and noticeable declines in property crime across the city.”
The chief touted new initiatives, such as drones and real-time crime centers, helped to reduce crime.
LAPD launched its Drone as a First Responder program in 2024 by November 2025 expanded it to five locations, providing coverage in 15 of the department’s 21 areas. Since July 2025, the program conducted 1,779 flights, averaged 23 deployments per day, and was first on scene in 754 incidents, according to the annual report.
In 135 cases, calls for service were resolved before officers arrived, preserving patrol resources for higher priority needs, the report showed.
Drones were deployed for the 2025 World Series and championship parade as well. LAPD aims to integrate the program with its real-time crime center technology.
The crime center integrates camera systems, license plate readers and analytic platforms into one site, providing information to officers, according to the report.