Violent crime in Fresno declined in 2024, with significant decreases in shootings, homicides, and gunshot victims, the Fresno Police Department said Monday at a downtown news conference.

Interim Police Chief Mindy Casto reported that homicides fell to 30 in 2024, down from 35 in 2023. This continues a downward trend from 60 in 2022 and 74 in both 2020 and 2021. Casto also highlighted a 97% clearance rate for murders last year, including solving cases from previous years.

Shootings also fell sharply, with 221 incidents in 2024 compared to 359 in 2023. In 2020, shootings peaked at 732 before dropping to 688 in 2021 and 449 in 2022. Gunshot victims saw a similar decline, with 107 reported in 2024, down from 143 in 2023 and 218 in 2022. The department resolved 78% of the cases in 2024.

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Other violent crime metrics also improved. Aggravated assaults totaled 2,817 in 2024, a slight decrease from 2,890 in 2023. In addition, the city saw a 16.6% reduction in rapes and a 1.6% drop in robberies.

The department also reported a decline in burglaries, with commercial burglaries down 21.2% and residential burglaries dropping 11.9%.

Casto attributed the improvements to community engagement, noting the department participated in 1,398 community events in 2024. She said that enforcement cannot be done without community engagement and vice versa.

Fresno Mayor Credits Police Hiring for Crime Reduction

Mayor Jerry Dyer credited the hiring and retention of officers as a key factor. Fresno was authorized 926 officers in 2024, with 861 positions filled and a vacancy rate of 7.02%. Since Dyer took office in 2021, the department has added 88 officers, with efforts including competitive pay and three-year contracts making Fresno’s officers the highest-paid in the Central Valley.

Dyer also cited the use of technology, including ShotSpotter, license plate readers, ballistic analysis, and helicopters, as instrumental in reducing crime. He pointed to a 68% drop in shootings and a 60% decrease in murders from 2021 to 2024.

“Crime is the number one priority for us in city government,” Dyer said, while acknowledging challenges from 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests, and police vacancies due to retirements and injuries.

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He also said that during the defund police movement Fresno’s police department was being funded even more.

Dyer praised the department’s leadership and emphasized ongoing efforts to improve safety.

Search for Police Chief

The city’s search for a permanent police chief  to succeed Paco Balderrama is expected to conclude by late March, city officials said. Balderrama resigned last summer amid allegations that he had an affair with the wife of an officer under his command.

Local leaders and residents have been interviewed so that City Hall could understand what the community wants to see in the next police chief, officials said Monday.

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They also said city leadership will meet with the search firm and begin grading candidates this week after the search firm makes the first cut. Casto said she didn’t know how many applicants remain in the running.

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