The Chattanooga Police Department reported sharp declines in violent crime, property crime and overdoses in 2025, while department leaders credited a combination of proactive policing, technology investments and community partnerships for the improvements.
According to the department’s newly released annual report, homicides in Chattanooga dropped 48% from 27 in 2024 to 16 in 2025, while non-fatal shooting victims declined 26%. Overall crimes against persons fell 9% and crimes against property declined 16% citywide.
Police Chief John Chambers described the trends as evidence that the department’s long-term strategies are producing results.
“For two consecutive years, we’ve seen significant reductions in violent crime,” Chambers says in a statement included with the report. “This ongoing progress reflects what law enforcement and community members can accomplish when we work together.”
The report also highlighted a homicide clearance rate of 93%, far above the national average of 57.8% cited in the report. The department said the clearance rate reflects increased coordination between investigators, intelligence analysts and specialized enforcement units.
Violent, property crimes decline
The most dramatic decline came in homicides, which dropped from 27 in 2024 to 16 in 2025. Aggravated assaults also declined 8%, while forcible sex offenses fell 14%. Kidnapping and abduction cases remained flat year over year.
Police attributed the reductions to proactive enforcement strategies, neighborhood partnerships and intelligence analysis designed to identify crime patterns and deploy officers more strategically. The report also cited collaboration with social service organizations and community groups focused on violence prevention and conflict resolution.
Property crime trends showed similarly steep declines.
Vehicle thefts dropped 36% in 2025, robberies declined 23% and thefts from vehicles fell 20%, according to the report. Larceny and theft cases decreased 11%, while burglaries declined 4%.
Overall property crime has fallen significantly since its peak during the pandemic era, according to department data charting trends from 2016 through 2025. The report recorded 7,060 property crimes in 2025 compared to 11,803 in 2020.
Overdose deaths continue to fall
Police officials also emphasized improvements in overdose response and prevention efforts.
The report showed a 17% reduction in overdoses overall and a 19% decline in fatal overdoses compared to 2024. Fatal overdoses dropped from 104 in 2024 to 84 in 2025, while non-fatal overdoses declined from 465 to 390.
The department credited proactive narcotics enforcement, expanded Narcan deployment, public education campaigns and partnerships with health organizations for the decline. Officials said officers are working alongside treatment providers and outreach organizations in an effort to connect people with recovery services instead of relying solely on enforcement actions.
Technology, specialized units expand role
The report also underscored the department’s growing reliance on specialized units and technology.
CPD’s Real-Time Intelligence Center, which integrates live camera feeds, license plate recognition systems, drones and crime databases, worked 1,752 calls for service in 2025 and obtained usable video evidence in 70% of those cases, according to the report. Investigators operating in the center averaged a digital response time of 10 seconds when monitoring incidents through public safety cameras.
The department’s Gun Team also reported substantial activity in 2025, including 72 firearm recoveries, 59 arrests and 15 search warrants executed. The unit processed 205 National Integrated Ballistic Information Network leads and closed 192 of them.
Meanwhile, the Crisis Co-Response Unit continued expanding its role responding to mental health calls and assisting unhoused residents. The unit handled 609 cases in 2025, more than triple its total from 2023.
The report said the unit relieved patrol officers from more than 1,000 calls while responding to more than 3,000 mental health-related incidents citywide.
Department highlights accountability efforts
The department also pointed to indicators it said reflect improved officer professionalism and accountability.
According to the report, CPD officers responded to 178,046 calls for service in 2025, including 12,691 priority one emergency calls, with an average response time of three minutes and 53 seconds.
Use-of-force incidents accounted for 333 encounters during the year – roughly 0.19% of all community interactions, according to the report. Department leadership said each use-of-force incident and related body camera footage undergoes multiple layers of supervisory review.
The report also detailed internal accountability investigations. CPD investigated 68 internally referred cases involving potential code-of-conduct violations, sustaining 40 of them after review. The department additionally received 111 external complaints from community members, with 42 advancing to formal investigations.
Chambers said maintaining public trust remains central to the department’s mission.
“Public safety is a collective responsibility,” Chambers wrote in a letter included in the report. “We’re grateful for the trust and collaboration that make our work possible.”
Recruitment, outreach remain priorities
The report also highlighted recruitment and retention efforts within the department.
CPD said it currently employs 478 sworn officers and 124 professional staff members. Chambers noted that the department hosted its largest police academy class in more than a decade during 2025 and achieved its lowest attrition rate in more than 10 years.
New recruits complete 22 weeks of academy instruction followed by 16 weeks of field training before beginning patrol assignments.
Community outreach efforts also remained a major focus during the year.
The department’s Community Outreach Unit conducted 60 crime prevention presentations, attended 35 school events and hosted two Community Police Academy sessions with 50 participants total. Officers also conducted welfare checks through the OASIS senior outreach program, which served 47 elderly residents in 2025.
Despite the encouraging crime trends, the report acknowledged continuing challenges.
Traffic collisions increased 15.3% citywide in 2025, with fatal crashes rising from 21 to 24. The report also showed a slight increase in crimes against property within Chattanooga’s downtown Business Improvement District, though crimes against persons there remained unchanged year over year.
Still, department leaders said the broader trajectory remains positive as CPD heads into 2026.
“We will not waiver in our mission to keep our community safe,” Chambers wrote. “Together, with the continued dedication of our officers and the ongoing support of our community, we will build on this momentum and strive for even greater success in the years ahead.”
Source: Chattanooga Police Department