In 2025, all crime — including violent and nonviolent — dropped, according to the Madison Police Department report.

The City of Madison posted a news report Mar. 2 announcing a drop in violent and nonviolent crime in 2025. This decline in criminal activity is consistent with a nationwide trend of falling crime rates, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.

This data report does not include crime data from the University of Wisconsin campus.

According to the report, the City of Madison saw a drop in shots fired, homicides, burglaries, robberies, overdoses, auto theft and theft from autos. Most notably, the number of shots-fired incidents was down more than 24% from 2024.

Burglaries are down more than 16% from 2024, which is over 42% lower compared to the three-year average, according to the report. Officers responded to 187 known opioid overdoses in 2025, which was a 16% decrease from 2024, according to the report.

The report also stated there were 284 vehicles reported stolen in 2025, down nearly 24% compared to 2024. There was a 50% decrease in stolen autos compared to the three-year average.

MPD Public Information Officer Stephanie Fryer said that community outreach programs have helped facilitate the drop in crime rates. Community outreach officers hold weekly outreach meetings and connect with those in the neighborhood, which has helped build trust within the Madison community, according to Fryer.

“We live in a community that wants to be a safe community and look after one another, and I think our community is really stepping up,” Fryer said.

Another factor Fryer discussed that contributed to the lowered crime rates is the MPD’s stratified policing approach. Fryer said that stratified policing uses data from MPD crime analysts to identify areas in Madison experiencing an uptick in crime and respond accordingly. Police officers will then conduct extra patrols in these areas, according to Fryer.

In an effort to maintain trust in the Madison community, crime data is reevaluated monthly, so neighborhoods aren’t experiencing high police activity constantly, according to Fryer.

Aside from police efforts, Fryer said that community efforts have helped decrease crime. Residents are very vigilant about reporting suspicious activity and sharing concerns with police, according to Fryer. 

In order for this decline to continue, Fryer pointed out the importance of continuing to relocate resources wherever they are needed.