Detroit's Fewest Property Crimes in Over a Year

Detroit's Fewest Property Crimes in Over a Year

For most of the past three months, Detroit was logging somewhere between 160 and 260 property crime incidents every five days. Then the week of March 30th happened — and the number fell off a cliff. Burglaries dropped to 50 incidents, down from a 12-week average of nearly 84. Motor vehicle theft hit just 6 incidents in a single week, against a recent daily average of nearly 18.

The drop is broad enough to be real, not a data artifact. Larceny fell 34% below its 12-week average. District 6 alone saw property crime cut in half — 24 incidents versus a typical 52. Year-to-date, Detroit is running 20% below 2025's pace, and the most recent month-over-month comparison shows a 42% decline versus the same week last April.

Motor vehicle theft — which had been running at 17–23 incidents per day through late March — dropped to just 6 on April 6th, a 66% single-week plunge that the anomaly system flagged as statistically extraordinary. Whether that's a genuine enforcement win or a reporting lag worth watching, the direction is unmistakably right. Trend data

District 2's Violent Crime Just Tripled

Here's the paradox: citywide violent crime is down 6.6% year-to-date and down 50% in the first days of April versus last year. But zoom into District 2 and the picture flips entirely. The week of April 5–6 logged 6 violent incidents — nearly triple the district's 12-week average of 2.1.

Aggravated assault is driving it — District 2 saw 5 felonious assault incidents in that same week, against a baseline of under 2. Bethune Community (District 7) also flagged a 220% spike in violent incidents. The citywide trend is genuinely improving; these two neighborhoods are not moving with it yet. Anomaly detail

Detroit's Building Pipeline Is Down 42% From Last April

Sixty-three building permit plan reviews were submitted in the first nine days of April — compared to 108 during the same window last year. That's a 41.7% drop, and it's not a blip: year-to-date submissions are running 22% below 2025's pace (478 vs. 614 through March).

Plan reviews are a leading indicator — they represent projects entering the permitting pipeline before a shovel hits the ground. A 22% YTD decline means fewer projects are starting the process, which will show up as fewer construction starts later in the year. Downtown and Midtown continue to generate activity, but the volume citywide is meaningfully softer than a year ago. Trend data

Drug Crime: Down 78% for the Year, Up 100% This Month

Drug crime incidents are down a staggering 78.4% year-over-year — 221 incidents so far in 2026 versus 1,022 at the same point in 2025. That's a genuine, sustained decline. But the first three days of April logged 14 incidents against just 7 in the same three days of March — a 100% month-over-month jump that's worth watching, especially with District 5 flagging a 200% weekly spike in dangerous drug offenses.

Three days of data don't make a trend. But after a year of consistent improvement, any reversal in the early-month numbers is worth a second look next week.

That's the week. See you next Tuesday.