Will 'Great Crime Decline' Finally Reach Kansas City In 2026?!?

At end of last year Mayor Q & local leaders didn't REALLY make a big deal out of crime drop that has taken hold over the last two years. Why? Probably because Kansas City might still be in shock following historic record-breaking numbers achieved in 2023 and throughout the tenure of the current administration. Also . . . When they tried the same stunt last year they where universally rebuked for playing stat games . . . Even the most progressive local journalists offered a wrist-slap for their attempt at spin in matters of life & death. 

Again . . . 

Make no mistake, it is a FACT that Mayor Q has presided over the bloodiest years KCMO has ever witnessed in recorded history.  

#TBT context . . . KC had seen high numbers during the civil rights era, during the 90s gang/crack wars and even when Hurricane Katrina emptied New Orleans slums across the nation causing urban center probs that extended all the way to Cali. But flare ups only lasted a year and then quickly quieted down. This time around the violence has been consistent, exceptionally brutal and often claiming the lives of innocents. 

However . . .  

Many denizens of the discourse who stay inside their bubble might not understand the dilemma or can only see it through a partisan lens that either blames Prez Trump for everything or marginalizes "Blue cities" full of immigrants for the crisis without much examination of local migrant communities that are strangely safer than many parts of the East side. 

Nevertheless . . .

The reality is that crime is trending down this year and we can only hope that this progress takes hold in Kansas City given that most of the local conversations about local violence seem unproductive.

Here's a big picture view for perspective as we leave the question open for our most loyal readers who still have the patience to check back during the midday . . .  

"After a pandemic-era rise in murders commonly attributed to a lack of policing, Seattle recorded fewer homicides in 2025 than in 2019, despite a much-smaller police force. If less policing made crime go up following the George Floyd protests—and most people thought it did—then what has made it go down?

"What happened in Seattle is happening even more dramatically across the country, as America experiences a once-in-a-lifetime improvement in public safety despite a police-staffing crisis. In August, the FBI released its final data for 2024, which showed that America’s violent-crime rate fell to its lowest level since 1969, led by a nearly 15 percent decrease in homicide—the steepest annual drop ever recorded."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

The Great Crime Decline Is Happening All Across the Country

Even cities with understaffed police departments have made record gains.

Here's an archive version because BEST & BRIGHTEST TKC READERS have taught us well. 

You decide . . .