FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Public safety trends in the city improved during the first half of 2026, with overall violent and property crime both down compared to the same period last year, according to Police Chief Mindy Casto.

Casto said overall violent crime decreased by 5 percent during the first six months of 2026 compared to the first six months of 2025. Property crime fell 4 percent over the same period.

Casto credited focused enforcement strategies, community engagement efforts and data-driven policing as key contributors to the reductions.

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The department also reported progress on traffic safety. Casto said traffic-related fatalities declined by 23 percent compared to this time last year, attributing the drop to increased traffic enforcement, public awareness through community engagement at events and during driver safety operations, and partnerships aimed at reducing dangerous driving behaviors.

Casto noted one area where the city has seen an increase: There have been two more homicides in 2026 than during the same period in 2025. Still, she pointed to investigative outcomes, saying, “We currently have a 100 percent clearance rate for homicides this year, due to arrests being made in multiple 2026 investigations and prior year cases. Several of our 2026 murder cases have arrestable suspects or promising leads for solving them.”

Casto also said officers have remained focused on accountability for victims and families affected by violent crime.

She thanked the community for its trust and cooperation and said public involvement is essential to sustaining the trends. “While we are encouraged by the progress reflected in these numbers, our work is far from done. We will continue to prioritize safety, accountability, and strong partnerships as we move forward through the rest of 2026,” Casto said.

Fresno PD statistics for January 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026:5% decrease in total violent crime from same period in 2025Current homicide clearance rate is 100%673 evidence guns recovered4% decrease in total property crime from same period in 2025Commercial burglaries are down 32% from last year23% decrease in traffic fatalities from same period in 202520,724 citations issued1,153 DUI arrests9-1-1 calls received 178,909Non-emergency calls received 394,787