Latest report from Little Rock Police Department shows crime rate dropping in the city

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The latest statistics from the Little Rock Police Department show that the city’s crime rate is dropping.

Little Rock is showing an overall drop in crime for 2024 in the department’s Weekly Crime Stats report through the week ending Aug. 19. In the two broad categories, violent crime had the most significant drop compared to previous years, while property crime had a comparatively slight drop.

According to the report, violent crime rates through Aug. 19 are down 27% compared to 2023 and 29% compared to the average over the past five years. In hard numbers, 2,150 violent crimes have been reported so far in 2024, compared to 2,271 crimes reported last year and 2,265 on average over the past five years.

The report showed property crime through Aug. 19 dropped 3% from last year’s numbers and 0% from the five-year average. This year, 8,801 property crimes have been reported, compared to 9,076 a year ago, against a five-year average of 8,836.

Noteworthy was the drop in crime for the River Market district, with a 35% drop in violent crime between 2024 and 2023 and a 30% drop in property crime for the same time period.

In his Monday Memo weekly newsletter, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. praised Police Chief Heath Helton for the department’s work in lowering crime rates. The mayor also pointed to the city’s use of its Real Time Crime Center and the Eyes on the Rock initiative as additional factors in lowering the crime rate.

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