COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cities across the state are taking a closer look at their crime rates. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Columbus Division of Police reported a 33% decline in homicides in 2022, compared to 2021

  • There was rise in juvenile crime, particularly car thefts

  • The City of Columbus intends to continue to create programming and activities for youth to help curb crime 

There was a nearly 33% decrease in homicides in the City of Columbus from 2021 to 2022. It's the largest decline in homicides among the nation's 20 largest cities, including Cincinnati and Cleveland.

However, juvenile crime is going up. In a news conference on Thursday, Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant indicated it will take a dedicated, comprehensive effort to have a positive impact on the city's youth.

"We have to work collectively — not only with our judicial system, not only with our other city entities — to try to get to these kids before it gets to that point so that we can do the prevention like the mayor (Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther) talked about," said Bryant. “We have to offer more youth programs. There's so many things that we have to do, but it's not just about the police. It's about the entire community."

Juveniles accounted for 10% of all homicide victims and 12% of all homicide suspects. Many of the crimes that police say involve youth center on car theft. Local law enforcement officials point to disturbing social media trends, challenging teenagers to steal cars. In Columbus, more than 7,700 cars were stolen in 2022, which is a dramatic rise compared to previous years, according to officials. Columbus Police Commander Duane Mabry believes community outreach helped curb the problem during the latter part of the year. 

“Meeting with the parents and the NAACP and all the resources, the city, and really from that meeting on—when we engage the parents, the juvenile judges got to see these parents face-to-face, name-to-name,” emphasized Mabry. “We saw a nosedive on those numbers.”

Ginther pointed out that while the city is starting to see progress, it's important to expand after school and summer programs.

“We need to continue to invest in our young people," Ginther. “I envision restorative investments in young people for the next several years to get them to where they need to be.”