Violent crime fell for the fifth year in a row last year in Dallas, police officials said Monday, including the city’s lowest homicide count since 2015.
Dallas’ figures, presented to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, mirror a broader national trend, with homicides down across most major U.S. cities in 2025, according to aggregated police data.
Police Maj. Andre Taylor, who oversees the department’s violent crime efforts, told council members reports of violent crime were down 12% overall in 2025 compared with the year before — a decline he credited to a mix of strategy, technology and focus on wanted offenders.
Department data shows police tallied 141 homicides in 2025 — the lowest since 2015, when it counted 136. Taylor also said aggravated assault reports citywide were down by 12% in 2025 compared with the year before.
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The discussion highlighted a gap between the city’s improving crime totals and what residents tell their council members they’re living with.
Most members of the committee praised the results, with the discussion pivoting to concerns about reports of random gunfire.
After the committee’s chair, Cara Mendelsohn, asked members to weigh in on what they were hearing in their districts about random gunfire, council member Maxie Johnson said the year-end totals on violent crime did not match what his constituents are experiencing in his south Oak Cliff district.
“We need real results,” Johnson said. “I can’t continue to just give data and say this is happening when our experience is saying something totally different.”
Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said the statistics showed violent-crime reports were trending downward in Johnson’s District 4. The chief told Johnson he would personally work with him on the issue.
Council members have described random gunfire as one of the most common quality-of-life complaints they hear from residents. Police said they had logged about 12,600 calls classified as random gunfire citywide in 2025, with heavier concentrations in southern Dallas and the Northeast Division.
Dallas police generally classify reports of random gunfire as a Priority 3 call, a lower-urgency category compared with in-progress emergencies. Taylor said calls with known injuries are prioritized.
Mendelsohn asked the department to return to next month’s Public Safety Committee meeting with ideas to curb the problem.