Staff Reports | Community Updates
In a year when many cities are reporting increases in crime and traffic fatalities, Tempe is moving in the opposite direction.
Serious crime has dropped, fatal collisions are down 21 percent and motor vehicle thefts decreased nearly 30 percent. In targeted areas, crime declined more than 27 percent during focused enforcement operations. The Tempe Police Department’s newly released 2025 public safety data outlines the trends, according to a press release.
The department attributes the shifts to a coordinated approach combining precision enforcement with community engagement. That includes hundreds of arrests connected to the Strategic Response Section, more than 1,700 pounds of methamphetamine seized through the city’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area partnership, and no fatal crashes at fixed photo enforcement locations since July 2025.
Chief Ken McCoy said the results reflect “focused strategy, strong partnerships, and a department-wide commitment to both enforcement and engagement.”
The full year-end data shows how Tempe’s approach corresponds with improvements in public safety metrics.
Crime trends
NIBRS Group A offenses, a category that includes more serious crimes tracked under the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, decreased 14 percent from 2024. Additional changes included:
Violent crime: down 8.6 percent
Property crime: down 4.8 percent
Motor vehicle theft: down 29.6 percent
Burglary: down 19.5 percent
Aggravated assault: down 14.5 percent
Robbery: down 12.9 percent
Total calls for service decreased slightly, while proactive, officer-initiated activity increased.
Strategic enforcement and community focus
The department’s Strategic Response Section — including the ACTION Team, Neighborhood Response Unit, Community Policing Unit, Tactical Response Unit and the HIDTA task force partnership — combined enforcement operations with neighborhood outreach.
From August 2025 to January 2026:
357 arrests were made by the ACTION Team and Neighborhood Response Unit
86 search warrants were written
188 encampments were fully cleared
161 community meetings and 117 community events were attended
Through the HIDTA partnership, officers assisted with:
35 felony indictments
More than 1,700 pounds of methamphetamine seized
$553,028 in U.S. currency and $300,000 in cryptocurrency seized
23 firearms removed from circulation
During Operation Autumn Impact, held from Nov. 24 to Dec. 14, 2025, Group A offenses fell 27.6 percent in the targeted area.
Traffic safety: Fatal collisions down 21 percent
Tempe’s traffic safety efforts also corresponded with reductions in collisions when compared to 2024:
Total collisions: down 11 percent
Injury collisions: down 10 percent
Serious injury collisions: down 4 percent
Fatal collisions: down 21 percent
Since July 1, 2025, no fatal collisions have been recorded at fixed photo enforcement camera locations. There were two such fatalities in 2023 and one in 2024.
Rear-end collisions, often cited as a concern regarding photo enforcement, decreased 52.7 percent from 2023 and 36.5 percent from 2024.
“These numbers reflect focused strategy, strong partnerships, and a department-wide commitment to both enforcement and engagement,” said Chief McCoy in a prepared statement. “We are seeing meaningful reductions in crime and traffic fatalities while continuing to build trust and collaboration in our community.”
