Long Beach is making big strides in its efforts to both reduce crime and expand youth-focused violence prevention programming, reflecting a dual-track strategy that merges data-driven policing with community engagement.

Crime Stats Show Significant Decline in Violence and Property Offenses

As of June 30, 2025, overall crime is down by 15.3% compared to the same time period last year. Shootings in Long Beach have also dropped by 29%, placing current levels below the five-year historical average. This is the third year in a row that shootings have been down. Murders are also down by 28%, with a homicide clearance rate of those cases being solved exceeding 64%. Murder rates also are below the five-year historical average.

Including shootings and homicides, violent crime overall is down more than 2% from 2024. That includes decreases in robbery (18.9%) and rape (1.9%).

Meanwhile, property crime trends also show strong improvement and are down by more than 23%. Commercial burglaries have fallen by 34.5%, motor vehicle thefts are down 33.6%, grand theft decreased 25.6%, residential burglaries fell 12.2% and vandalism incidents decreased by 25%.

The Long Beach Police Department has engaged in a focused resource deployment and demonstrated continued success with the High Crime Focus Team (HCFT), which was launched in 2024 to identity evidence-based crime patterns. The HCFT reviews crime data daily to implement targeted responses, especially during historically high-crime summer months.

The Police Department has also boosted firearm recovery efforts, seizing 585 guns so far in 2025—an increase of 119 over the previous year.

Beyond enforcement, the department invests in preventative engagement with Long Beach youth through various programs, led by the department’s Youth and Community Engagement Division.

While crime in Long Beach continues to trend in positively downward, even just one person wrongfully impacted by unnecessary crime is one too many. The Police Department and City remain committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of the community.

More information on mid-year crime results can be found here.

S.T.R.O.N.G. Beach Targets Systemic Prevention

Another way Long Beach is investing in upstream violence prevention is through the expansion of the S.T.R.O.N.G. Beach initiative. S.T.R.O.N.G. stands for Standing Together to Reach Our Next Generation.

Launched in 2024, the program applies a public health approach to addressing the root causes of violence, such as poverty, systemic inequality and generational trauma. The focus is on holistic youth investment, such as expanding access to safe spaces, meaningful employment, creative outlets, mentorship and more.

This summer, the initiative distributed $82,500 in funding to 26 organizations hosting community-led events designed to foster safety and sense of belonging within neighborhoods as well as expanding access to recreation and enrichment and increasing economic opportunities for young people. Over 65 programs and events were developed to support the initiative. Events included job fairs, arts workshops and family-centered community gatherings.

Looking ahead, S.T.R.O.N.G. Beach is being transitioned from a summer-only program into a permanent and more expansive year-round initiative. Plans are underway now to initiate that shift through a two-year rollout that ensures S.T.R.O.N.G. can have an even more significant long-term impact.

More details about the City’s S.T.R.O.N.G. Beach initiative including a breakdown of related programs can be found here.

By combining real-time tactical enforcement with long-term investment in youth, the City is creating safer streets and stronger communities–a positive impact for generations to come.