DANVILLE, Va. – The Danville Police Department states that overall crime rates have trended downward for the fifth year in a row, decreasing by 8% overall across major crime categories in 2024 compared to 2023, according to a preliminary report in 2024 on crime.
Here is a full breakdown of the findings:
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Violent crime
- Danville reported nine homicides in 2024 and 111 aggravated assaults
- Seven of those homicide cases have been cleared by arrest, while the other cases—a March homicide on Cabell Street and a September homicide on Spring Street—remain under investigation.
Firearm-related shootings
- Danville reports a reduction in firearm-related shootings in 2024, with incidents decreasing from 84 to 63 in the year prior in aggravated assaults.
- Of those 63 cases, 25 were wounded, while 38 were not in comparison to 2023, where 40 were wounded and 44 were not.
- Police saw an increase in the number of other weapons being used to commit aggravated assaults, from 28 in 2023 to 48 in 2024. ‘Other weapons’ is defined as anything used to cause bodily harm other than a firearm.
Theft, robberies and burglaries
- There was also a decline in robberies, with 22 robberies reported in 2024 and 15 of those cases being cleared by arrest.
- Property crimes experienced a historic low, according to the preliminary report.
- Burglaries decreased from 98 in 2023 to 92 in 2024. Authorities say 52.2% of those cases were cleared by arrest. The national average is 14.4%.
- Reports of stealing from motor vehicles decreased from 165 in 2023 to 144 in 2024.
- In 2024, theft of motor vehicles dropped 31%, going from 91 to 63.
How do these rates compare to the national average?
“In terms of comparison to the national averages determined by the FBI in 2023, the Department’s solve rates far exceed those averages,” the Danville Police Department stated.
In 2024:
- Homicides: 78% were cleared by arrest compared to the 57.8% national average
- Aggravated assaults: 82% of victim’s cases were cleared by arrest compared to 46.1% nationally
- Robberies: 68.2% of cases were cleared by arrest compared to 27.6% nationally
It’s important to note that this data is preliminary and will be finalized in the coming months.
The Department recognizes the incredible work of the officers, investigators, professional staff, and leadership team who commit themselves to our mission to ensure a safe Danville for all. We are incredibly appreciative for our community, our City Council, our City Manager, and other City of Danville departments and staff, without whose partnership, support, and trust we could not be successful.
The Danville Police Department
