While violent crime declined in Raleigh, homicides rose

In the first six months of this year, overall violent crime declined in Raleigh for the second year in a row while the number of homicides climbed, painting a complicated picture of the state of crime that city leaders have struggled to address in recent years.

Why it matters: A string of incidents in downtown Raleigh in the past year, including several stabbings at the downtown bus station, has made crime a major talking point among the city council and local businesses.

• In the past year, however, the number of violent crimes reported has decreased by 22%, Raleigh police shared earlier this month , showing some progress has been made.

By the numbers: Overall violent crime declined by a modest 5% in the first half of this year compared to the same time frame last year, according to Raleigh Police Department data reported by the Major Cities Chiefs Association .

• Robbery and aggravated assault declined slightly between last year and this year, while instances of homicides and rape increased.

Meanwhile , other crimes — including assault, disorderly conduct, fraud, human trafficking, drug violations, motor vehicle theft and weapons violations — reached 10-year highs in the first half of this year, WRAL reported from data presented by Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson's second quarter crime report last month.

Context: The number of people murdered in Raleigh this year is still lower than that of the same period in 2022.

• That year, Raleigh saw nearly 50 murders , the highest number ever reported since the city began tracking homicides some 30 years ago.

Reality check: The city is one of the fastest growing in the country, so a rise in crime is to be expected.

• "I think we have seen those trends, those upticks across the nation and are not unique to Raleigh," Patterson said in last month's news conference, WRAL reported.
• "What is unique to Raleigh is the growth. With that growth, you're going to have a segment of the population that is committing the crime."

Between the lines: City leaders have pointed to a shortage of police officers as one of its biggest struggles to tackling crime. The city even turned to hiring private security guards to supplement patrols of hot crime spots in downtown Raleigh.

• In response, the city has raised wages for police officers , and Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said the officers it trains are often poached by neighboring towns that pay more.
• The efforts seem to be making progress. RPD had 45 vacancies in July, down from 84 a year prior, Raleigh Magazine reported . It also has more than 40 recruits in its police academy.
• RPD did not immediately respond to Axios' request for data for this story.

Zoom out: Among 66 cities, homicides declined 13% overall during the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2020, per this year's Major Cities Chiefs Association data.

Some cities saw massive declines of more than 70% during that time frame.

• Boston experienced an 80% drop in homicides, while Philadelphia saw a 70% decrease.

Yes, but: Like Raleigh, some other notable cities have seen surges in the number of homicides in the first six months of the year.

• Portland, Ore., experienced a 278% surge in homicides, an Axios review found.
• In Seattle, homicides ballooned 59%.
• In Las Vegas, homicides grew by 55%.

The big picture: The national drop is evidence that the COVID-era crime wave continues to recede, though not entirely in some areas.

Go deeper: New data show homicides fall nationwide