Rochester Reporter

Mayor Malik D. Evans announced today that gun violence in Rochester has significantly declined, with the number of shootings returning to pre-pandemic levels.

“I am gratified by these numbers because they show us that our strategies to reduce violence, especially gun violence, are working,” said Mayor Evans. “But I am not satisfied, because numbers aren’t the goal. The goal is to make Rochester a safer city where perception matches reality and people not only are safe but feel safe.”

The rolling 365-day average of shootings indicates firearm assaults have decreased by more than half from the peak violence seen during the pandemic, dropping from approximately 430 in 2021 and early 2022 to about 210 this week.

“On a human scale that decline cannot be underestimated,” said Mayor Evans. “That’s more than 200 people who did not experience the trauma of gun violence; 200 families who did not experience the trauma of losing a loved one to gun violence or supporting a loved one whose life has been permanently altered by gun violence. That’s more than 200 incidents of violence that didn’t happen and won’t spark the cycle of retaliation that drives more gun violence."

The rolling 365-day average calculates the average number of firearm-related assaults occurring during any given day over a year-long period. It is considered one of the Rochester Police Department’s most effective measures for tracking violent crime as it eliminates many calendar year variables.

Another metric with inherent standardizations, the five-year average, also shows ongoing reductions in all Part 1 crimes—the most serious crimes as defined by the FBI.

As of August's end, Rochester’s Part 1 crime rate in 2024 is down 20 percent compared to averages from those months between 2019 and 2023; murders have decreased by 18 percent, total violent crime is down by eight percent, and property crimes have fallen by twenty-two percent.

Mayor Evans shared these findings at one of his periodic Public Safety Updates held with senior management since declaring a Gun Violence State of Emergency in July 2022.

During the news conference, Police Chief David Smith reported homicides so far this year are down to forty-two from forty-nine during the same period last year; shooting victims have decreased from two hundred thirty-four last year to one hundred fifty-six currently.

This year alone, Rochester police officers have made seven hundred fifty arrests related to criminal possession of weapons and recovered five hundred seventy-three illegal firearms.

Corporation Counsel Patrick Beath stated that this year, using additional regulatory powers granted under the Gun Violence State of Emergency declaration, nine locations were closed and three significant nuisance-abatement agreements were entered into with locations linked to violent crime.

Dr. Shirley Green, Commissioner of the Department of Recreation and Human Services, reported that mental health counseling services provided for youth at four City R-Centers offered significant insights into trauma experienced by city youth at home and in their neighborhoods.

From April through June this year, counselors engaged with one hundred seventy-eight youth for a total number exceeding five thousand encounters. Nearly ninety-eight percent were self-referrals where youth sought out counseling services on their own initiative. Discussion topics included anger management; bullying; relationships; and decision-making skills.