Arlington saw a 12% reduction in overall crime between 2024 and 2025, including two fewer homicides, according to an annual report from police.
Arlington participates in the National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, a voluntary federal program that collects crime data from across the nation.
Crimes in the report are split into three categories: crimes against persons, crimes against property and crimes against society.
The findings of the report were shared in a news release from police Wednesday. KERA News has requested the full report.
Sgt. Richard Coleman said the reduction in crime is a result of several efforts by Arlington police.
"It's a multifaceted project," Coleman said. "The first thing is it starts with our citizens."
A good relationship with the community is important, he said. Trust is built through positive, respectful interactions with people in the community, whether officers are conducting a traffic stop or talking to a victim of a crime. It also comes from events, like a cooking class taught by police.
Technology plays a big role, too.
The Drone as a First Responder program helps police gather information before they even arrive at the scene of a call, Coleman said. Using the Real Time Crime Center helps police spot crimes being committed and respond to the faster by giving the department access to live feeds and license plate readers. Building a reputation as a department that responds quickly to crimes and can track suspects using the license plate readers can help discourage criminal acts, Coleman said.
Arlington’s report shows the overall crime drop includes a 14% reduction in crimes against persons. That includes decreases in assaults, robberies and sex crimes, according to the release.
Crimes against property, which includes theft and arson, went down by 18%.
While those categories are down, the report does indicate an 11% increase in crimes against society, a category including drug violations, non-violent gun offenses and prostitution. Coleman said that wasn't necessarily because there were more of those crimes — he credits the increase instead to Arlington police being more vigilant and noticing these crimes. It does not reflect an increase in the number of calls to police about crimes against society.
Police Chief Al Jones credited the reduction to department initiatives like a program using drones to assist officers, expansions of the department’s Real Time Crime Center capabilities and cooperation with federal law enforcement.
“Over the past four years, these reductions reflect the impact of deliberate investments in people, technology, and partnerships,” Jones said in the news release. “These statistics show we are moving in the right direction. While there is still work ahead, the momentum is real, and our officers are making a meaningful difference every day.”
This is the fourth year in a row Arlington’s NIBRS report shows a decrease in crime. Last year saw a major decrease compared to 2024, when overall crime was down 5% despite two more homicides than the year prior.
Since 2022, the city has seen overall crime down nearly 20% and crimes against persons reduced 23%.
"It kind of lets us know that the trajectory that we're on is the right one," Coleman said. "I believe that we can always get better. We can always improve, but this lets us know that we are on the right track."
This story has been updated with new quotes and information from Arlington police.
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