Detroit Mayor Sheffield says summer crime fell, calls drop 'historic'
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said at an Oct. 5 press conference that summer crime dropped in Detroit during the first nine months of 2026. Sheffield described the reduction as historic, but the mayor's office and the Detroit Police Department did not immediately release detailed statistics.
Sheffield and Bettison spoke at a news conference attended by other elected officials and community members and reviewed crime trends from June through September. They did not provide specific figures or breakdowns by crime category during the event.
The announcement covered crime patterns over the summer months and the first nine months of the year. Sheffield and Bettison attributed the decrease to policing strategies and community partnerships, but they did not detail which initiatives produced the reduction.
The Detroit Police Department has not released the full statistical categories or detailed numbers that would show the percentage change in violent or property crimes. Officials did not say when those figures would become public.
The city will continue monitoring crime trends into the fall and winter, and the department will report seasonal crime data as it normally does.
Updated statistics will be available through the Detroit Police Department's public crime data portal.
