Chicago saw an overall reduction in violent crime in 2025. Last year, 417 people were killed in homicides, down nearly 30% from the previous year and a 60-year low, according to the city’s violence reduction dashboard. The decline in violent crime echoes a nationwide trend; however, more work lies ahead in preventing shootings and in saving lives, according to stakeholders working to reduce violent crime and provide needed support to victims and their families.
More context: “There are many people in our communities on the South and West Side of Chicago who may not necessarily feel the numbers that are being reported,” said the Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, executive director of Live Free Illinois. The organization helped advocate for the Homicide Data Transparency Act, which requires law enforcement agencies in Illinois to publish routine data and investigations on homicides, with the ultimate goal of improving homicide solve rates and helping families get closure. Eddie Bocanegra, former senior advisor to the Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, supported the work of community violence intervention (CVI) across the country in his previous role, a position he held for more than three years.
Bocanegra left the Department of Justice following federal cuts to CVI programs last year. “We saw stronger relations between CVI organizations and law enforcement,” Bocanegra said about his time working at the Department of Justice. “There are also organizations, besides CVI organizations, that are coming together to provide more of the wraparound services.”
“Chicago, by far, has the deepest investments in CVI,” Bocanegra continued. Garien Gatewood, Chicago’s deputy mayor of community safety, said the decline in violent crime comes from a variety of factors such as improving housing, holding people accountable who cause harm, and creating more resources for youth and adult jobs. “I think the work that’s happening across the city of Chicago can be replicated in other parts of the country,” Gatewood said. “It’s not a single policy. It is literally everyone working together to drive violence down throughout the city.”
