This column has mentioned, from time to time, the decline in homicides in Wilmington. Also mentioned was the mistaken and perhaps racially-tinged view among some talk show callers and social media commenters that the city is a crime-infested hellscape.
The city has been low-key about the situation, knowing that one turf war or bad street corner can change everything. Still, it’s important to remind businesses and the overall community about what has taken place as the city, in the words of McGruff, “took a bite out of crime.”
Click here for the report and CompStat figures.
Last week, the city released data showing a 22% reduction in murders compared with the year before (14 in 2023 compared to 18 in 2022), making last year’s total the lowest number the city has seen since 2003, when there were ten murders.
It’s a far cry from the time when the body count led to a widely read Newsweek piece labeled Murder Town USA. The number of homicides went on to hit 31 during the Covid year of 2020. Nationwide, the murder rate has dropped in many cities since that time.
14 too many homicides
The 14 homicides are 14 too many, but it still marks a decline of 60% based on a six-year average. It was encouraging to see the number of shooting victims drop by 35% from a year ago, although shootings were up slightly.
The root causes of violent crime remain and include an ultra-high poverty rate, a lack of blue-collar jobs, a struggling education system, drug turf battles, and too many guns in the wrong hands.
“These results are a testament to the laser focus my administrative team has given to public safety and crime reduction from day one,” said Mayor Mike Purzycki. “While these numbers are encouraging, our work is far from over. In my remaining year as your mayor, I and Chief (Wilfredo) Campos will continue to do everything in our power to build stronger community ties, target known bad actors, remove dangerous firearms from our streets, and make Wilmington the safest city it can be.”
Wave of Kia, Hyundai auto thefts
Wilmington Police, like their counterparts across the nation, also dealt with a wave of auto thefts in 2023, spurred on by online hacks that were used to steal Kia and Hyundai automobiles. The auto thefts were a major reason for the uptick in overall crime.
You may not hear or read much about Wilmington’s declining murder rate as we enter a politically charged 2024 that will feature nonstop ads of mobs and grainy crime videos. Still, the city is getting a chance to tell its story. Even Philly’s 6ABC, which once was known for its “if it bleeds, it leads” news packaging, acknowledged the decline. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
