LITTLE ROCK – Both overall crime and violent crime in Little Rock have significantly decreased over the first six months of 2025, Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. announced today. Mayor Scott attributed the sharp decline to a successful, holistic crime reduction strategy implemented three years ago.

According to Little Rock Police Department statistics, overall crime was down 19 percent when compared to a five-year average, and violent crime was down 12 percent over that same five-year span. 

Crime has trended downward consistently in Arkansas's capital city since Mayor Scott and the Little Rock Board of Directors declared a public health emergency because of violent crime in 2022. At that time, the City refocused its efforts on a comprehensive crime reduction plan. That strategy includes:

*Data-driven, targeted police patrols in high-crime neighborhoods
*Support for LRPD's Real Time Crime Center and technology upgrades to improve police effectiveness and efficiency
*Real Time Crime Center partnerships with business owners and residents through Eyes on The Rock
*Creation of LRPD Crisis Response Teams, including social workers, to de-escalate situations involving mentally ill individuals
*Salary increases for officer retention
*Signing bonuses for officer recruitment
*Additional funding to community organizations to support prevention, intervention and treatment
*Support of school-based and street-based interventionists in the City's Department of Community Programs (DCP)
*DCP-led, solutions-based initiatives like summer Midnight Basketball, re-entry services, and Career Climb, providing workforce development and employment opportunities for Little Rock youth and young adults

"For the past three years, crime has declined consistently because we have committed ourselves to making Little Rock safer and stronger through our holistic violence prevention strategy," Mayor Scott said. "I appreciate the work of the men and women of LRPD, the Department of Community Programs, and all the community partners and stakeholders working to make a real difference in the lives of our residents and visitors."

LRPD statistics show that, in addition to the five-year trend, crime continues to decline compared to 2024, as well. At the halfway mark of 2025, violent crime is down 5 percent over last year, and overall crime has decreased 16 percent.

"We cannot stand on statistics alone, because we know there's more work to do as we change the perception of crime in our City," Mayor Scott said. "We will continue focusing on ways we can improve the progress we have already made so that Little Rock remains a safe place to live, work, and play."