AKRON — Violent crime in Akron fell 13% and property crime dropped 32% between 2019 and 2024, according to a new study presented to City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Oct. 6.
The analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice was requested by Council President Margo Sommerville, who said she wanted data — not anecdotes — to guide the city’s public-safety policy. The study drew on police data and Summit County juvenile records covering the years just before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report found overall crime in Akron down 12% over the period. Violent crime peaked in 2021 and homicides peaked in 2020, the study shows, with nonfatal shootings following a similar pattern. Two categories bucked the trend: domestic violence rose 8% and gun assaults climbed 35% since 2019, even as most other crime fell.
Criminal citations and arrests were also down, the study found, while Akron’s clearance rates — the share of cases police solve — ran higher than national rates. Adults ages 35 to 49 accounted for the largest share of arrests.
Sommerville said she asked for the study so council members and residents could see the full picture of where Akron stands. The findings give city leaders a shared baseline of numbers as they weigh future public-safety spending and prevention programs.