PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — With just days left in the year, 2025 is shaping up to be one for the history books: Philadelphia is on track to record its lowest homicide total in more than four decades.
“Lower numbers don’t mean the work is done. It means the work is working,” said Adam Geer, the city’s chief public safety director.
Through Dec. 28, there have been 218 homicides in the city – a drop of nearly 17% from the same period last year. Compare that to 2021, the most violent year on record in Philadelphia, when there were 555 homicides during the same period.
That’s a 60% decrease from the peak.
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“There’s no question that it’s a relief to us. What I hope more is that it is a relief to our communities that have been ravaged by gun violence,” Geer said.
He credited the decline to several factors, including millions of dollars invested in community organizations through a coordinated effort from the mayor’s office, as well as strong police work.
Former Philadelphia police officer Maureen Rush agrees.
“It’s good old-fashioned police work, both patrol and detectives,” said Rush, who spent nearly two decades with the department before leading the Penn Police Department for 27 years.
Rush said beefed-up forensics and shooting investigation teams are helping solve crimes, but she also pointed to a national trend of falling crime rates. Keeping that trend going will be critical in the new year, she added.
“We have 2026 events coming up. It’s even more important to keep the trend going and to keep the numbers down because we are having people from around the world coming to Philadelphia,” Rush said.
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