Washington, D.C. — 2025 is likely the safest year in recorded U.S. history, and the national homicide rate is estimated to have seen the largest single-year drop (20 percent) ever recorded from 2024 to 2025. A new Center for American Progress report details why a whole-of-government approach is necessary to achieve sustainable public safety.
While cities nationwide experienced declines in gun victimization rates, the report identifies five common, evidence-based strategies in 17 of the 50 most populous cities that saw their rates plummet by more than half since the 2021 peak—outpacing the national average by nearly double—including:
- Community violence intervention (CVI): Baltimore’s Safe Streets program is estimated to have reduced homicides by an average of 32 percent in the first four years of operation.
- Focused deterrence: Portland Ceasefire and Baltimore’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy identify high-risk individuals and provide resources to divert them from crime.
- Modern investigative technology: San Jose and Fresno (which had 100 percent and 97 percent murder clearance rates, respectively, in 2024) credit tools such as NIBIN ballistics forensics, license plate readers, and forensic technology for solving crimes quickly and deterring future offenders.
- Coordinated violence prevention responses: All 17 cities that have seen the greatest declines in gun violence since 2021 have a standing office of violence prevention or a multi-agency task force coordinating strategies to reduce gun violence in the community.
- Strong state gun laws: 15 of the 17 top cities are in states with at least a B- grade. Colorado also saw immediate dividends after passing a suite of gun safety laws in 2024, with Denver’s victimization rate dropping by 33.5 percent.
Despite these historic gains, CVI programs face a budgetary crisis following the Trump administration’s termination of $500 million in federal grants and the U.S. Department of Justice’s new rules that disqualify community-based organizations from direct grants, as well as the expiration of American Rescue Plan Act and Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) funds in 2026.
“The Trump administration’s move to defund the very solutions that are working is a big mistake,” said Chandler Hall, associate director for Public Safety at American Progress and author of the report. “Local leaders have demonstrated that they know how to work together with their communities to improve public safety infrastructure. Congress must step in to stabilize critical support these communities need to be safe and ensure the recent safety gains across the nation become the new American standard.”
Read the report: “What City Leaders Say is Helping Drive Down Gun Violence in Their Communities” by Chandler Hall
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Rafael Medina at [email protected].