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SAN DIEGO — For the fourth consecutive year, overall crime is down in the City of San Diego. San Diego Police Department data shows there was an overall drop of 6.3% in 2025 compared to 2024.
Leaders, including Mayor Todd Gloria and SDPD Chief Scott Wahl, held a press conference to discuss the data.
Chief Wahl shared that there was a 25% drop in murders in 2025. Wahl says there were 27 deaths in 2025, and 26 of the cases were solved.
Additionally, vehicle thefts dropped by 22%, and hate crimes are down by 32%.
Wahl said the department hasn’t seen crime this low since the 1960s and 1970s.
When CBS 8 inquired about why the department is continuing to see crime decrease, Wahl pointed to community groups and new technology that help officers make arrests faster.
“For example, our license plate readers. If somebody commits a crime the first time and we’re able to apprehend them within minutes or hours after they commit that crime, we can prevent them from making a second or third, fourth, fifth offense, which is what drives crime higher,” Wahl said. “So the faster apprehension, working with community groups, good solid policing, like I said, we solved 26 out of the 27 murders last year, it’s a testament to the work that our detectives do in our homicide unit. And it’s kind of symbolic of the work that’s being done throughout this department.”
CBS 8 also asked Wahl what he believes could be improved upon in the years ahead. He shared that there was a slight uptick in gang violence in 2025 and that he wants to continue partnering with community groups to help keep it at a low level.