Lincoln’s Crime Trends: A Mixed Bag of Falling Overall Rates and Rising Violent Incidents
In an intriguing twist of statistics, Lincoln has reported a decrease in overall crime rates despite a noticeable increase in violent crimes, as highlighted in the latest 2025 annual report from the Lincoln Police Department.
During a recent press briefing, Lincoln Police Department Chief Michon Morrow was accompanied by Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird to underscore the fact that overall crime in Lincoln has fallen for the third consecutive year, reaching a two-decade low.
Part 1 offenses, encompassing both property and violent crimes, experienced an overall decline of nearly 15% in 2025 compared to the year prior. Property crimes saw significant reductions, with auto thefts plummeting over 30% and burglaries decreasing by nearly 28%.
Conversely, violent crimes saw an upswing of nearly 32% compared to 2024, including categories such as homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, and rape.
Specifically, rape and aggravated assault incidents each saw a 27% rise in 2025 compared to the previous year, while homicides decreased from eight in 2024 to six in 2025.
“Every life cut short is an inconceivable loss for their loved ones,” Morrow stated. “And while our community suffers in those losses, we remain thankful that the number is dropping, but we will not be satisfied until that number is zero.”
Despite a decrease in homicides, the majority were domestic-related murder-suicides, though the percentage of intimate partner-related aggravated assaults fell from 34.9% in 2024 to 31.3% in 2025.
Shootings also saw an increase, with 91 incidents in 2025, including four fatalities, compared to 76 in 2024. Notably, 15 of these incidents were accidental discharges.
Mayor Gaylor Baird and the LPD are prioritizing the expansion of mental health outreach, as mental health-related calls rose to 4,210 in 2025, a 7.4% increase.
The city marked one year of the Co-Responder Program, a partnership between LPD and CenterPointe, which responded to 366 calls in its inaugural year.
“The need for mental health resources continues to climb, with mental health calls for service to LPD up 7.4% in 2025,” Morrow said. “On the flip side, those placed in emergency protective custody continues to decline, down 16% from last year.”
On the financial crime front, cryptocurrency scams have become a growing concern, with losses exceeding $11 million from 2021 to 2025, and over $4.4 million lost in 2025 alone.
In 2025, the LPD bolstered its traffic unit, resulting in an 8.4% increase in traffic stops. The department also began enforcing a new vehicle nuisance ordinance, leading to 96 vehicles being flagged and cited on O Street.
Federal and State Grant Stability
Chief Morrow noted that federal and state grants have largely remained steady, although some cuts have occurred over the years. LPD continues to explore grant opportunities to support its victim assistance unit.
“Those grants did see some cuts, but those are cuts that we’ve experienced over a couple of years,” Morrow stated. “So we’re evaluating what that impact looks like, and we’re also in the process of hiring new advocates.”
LPD’s gang unit, through Operation Tipping Point, focuses on outreach to youth with potential gang affiliations. Recent testimonies by LPD staff have successfully safeguarded crucial Office of Violence Prevention funds.
Anticipated Challenges for 2026
Looking ahead, Chief Morrow expressed concerns about potential recruitment challenges in law enforcement for 2026. However, LPD has seen a significant number of applicants, with 700 applications and 40 new hires in 2025.
“I think that is kind of the beauty of our recruitment plan, is we kind of consider it at a marathon, not sprints. And so we’re trying to build relationships over the long term,” Morrow said.
