Detroit 2012 Homicide Statistics and Press Release

MAYOR BING ANNOUNCES REDUCTION IN OVERALL DETROIT CRIME RATE

DETROIT – Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, Interim Chief of Police Chester L. Logan and other top officials of the Detroit Police Department (DPD) today released 2012 crime statistics that showed an overall reduction in the city’s major crime categories, despite an increase in homicides during the year.

Numbers for major crime categories were down by 2.6 percent for the year, compared to 2011, according to DPD data. Detroit Police investigated 461 deaths due to unnatural causes in 2012. Fifty of these deaths were determined not to be homicides.

Total homicides numbered 411 in Detroit during 2012. However, 25 of these deaths were determined to be Justifiable Homicides, as defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Handbook (UCRH). The remaining 386 homicides were Criminal Homicides, defined by the FBI / UCRH as the unlawful or illegal killing of another person.

Detroit Police also investigated 39 suicides; 6 accidental deaths; 2 deaths from natural causes; and 3 deaths that occurred in another jurisdiction.

“The release of annual crime statistics reminds us of the senselessness of crime and violence in our community; the challenges facing our police force; and the need to improve conflict resolution and other anti-crime initiatives,” Mayor Bing said.