MIAMI – The Miami Police Department is reporting a drop in violent crime for the first half of 2025, with the mayor and police chief hoping for a record low number of homicides at the end of the year.

So far, there have been 16 homicides in the city this year, according to Police Chief Manuel Morales. He said it’s still possible for the city to beat its record low of 24 — the lowest number since the city first began recording homicides in 1946. The city came close to beating that record last year, with 27 homicides.

“This is a community triumph,” Morales said at a press conference Thursday. “Behind every percentage point, there’s a potential life saved, a crime prevented and a neighborhood being safe.”

The city cited the following decreases in crime from the first half of 2024 to the first half of 2025:

•20% decrease in homicides

•17% decrease in robberies

•19% decrease in aggravated assaults

•37% decrease in auto theft

“These results have been driven by smart data, informed policing, deepened trust with our community, targeted prevention and enforcement, and, of course, the critical support of our elected officials,” Mayor Francis Suarez said.

Morales also noted a decrease in contact shootings and non-contact shootings, in which the person was shot at but not struck.

Additional data from the city, provided after the press conference, shows that arrests increased from 9,847 by mid-year 2024 to 10,542 this year to date.

The numbers land amid a statewide crackdown on immigration, particularly as Florida continues making headlines for Alligator Alcatraz, the controversial and hastily built immigrant detention center in the Everglades.

Despite the political climate, Morales said he has received “no indication” that people are reporting crime less due to fear that they or a loved one could be detained or deported.

As an example, Morales pointed to the 37% decrease in auto theft.

“There’s not a lot of stolen cars running around with people saying, ‘I’m not going to report it because I’m afraid what’s going to happen,’” Morales said. He added that there isn’t an “immigration check” when Miami residents speak to police, either as a victim or a witness.

“We don’t have access to those databases, and that’s not part of the business that we’re creating,” Morales said.

Last month, the Miami City Commission voted 3-2 to enter into an immigration enforcement agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, called a 287(g) agreement. The city agreed to enter the task force model, which allows police officers to conduct immigration enforcement functions during routine work and to question, arrest and detain people suspected of violating immigration law.

But according to Morales, to date, no Miami police officers have been trained under the task force model.

“There will be men and women that are dedicated to that job, but that’s still far down the road.” Morales added.

Suarez also celebrated the decreases in crime. He compared today’s numbers to the 1980s, when the city had record highs. In 1980, for example, the city recorded 220 homicides, according to Suarez.

“Miami is safer today,” Suarez said, “than it’s been in generations.”

©2025 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.