DANVILLE, Va. – Crime in Danville fell to its lowest level in four decades in 2025, according to preliminary statistics released by the city’s police department, continuing a six-year trend of declining crime.
Overall major crime categories dropped 8% compared with 2024, while violent crime fell sharply, declining 28% across the city.
Police reported three homicides in 2025, down from nine the year before. All three cases were solved.
Shootings also declined significantly. Authorities recorded 39 firearm-related shootings in 2025, compared with 63 the previous year. Nine people were wounded and 30 incidents involved gunfire without injuries. In 2024, 25 people were wounded and 38 shootings did not result in injuries.
Danville Police Chief Chris Wiles said the department focuses not only on identifying suspects when crimes occur but also on preventing retaliatory violence.
“When something happens, we work through the process of identifying who’s responsible,” Wiles said. “We also look at what the fallout may be or if there could be retaliatory violence.”
Robberies continued to decline as well. Police recorded 15 robberies in 2025, down from 22 in 2024. Twelve of the 2025 cases were cleared by arrest.
Property crime also decreased. Burglaries dropped from 92 in 2024 to 80 in 2025, and overall property crimes fell about 6%.
One area that did see an increase was theft from vehicles. Wiles urged residents to lock their cars and avoid leaving valuables inside.
The department said its case clearance rates continue to exceed national averages reported by the FBI. In recent data, Danville police cleared 100% of homicide cases compared with the national average of 61.4%. Aggravated assaults were cleared at a rate of 85.8%, compared with 49.1% nationally, and robberies at 80%, compared with 30.4%.
“When you have fewer victims, you’re able to pay more attention to the cases you do have,” Wiles said. “That leads to strong clearance rates.”
Drug overdoses also dropped sharply. Police reported 19 overdoses in 2025, eight of them fatal. The previous year saw 39 overdoses, including 13 fatal cases — a decrease of more than 48%.
Wiles said the department has focused heavily on the supply side of narcotics trafficking.
“We’re aggressively focusing on who’s moving and trafficking narcotics in our community, particularly those causing the most harm,” he said.
Residents say the statistics reflect what they are experiencing.
Steven Dexter, who moved to Danville three years ago from Raleigh, North Carolina, said he reviewed crime statistics before relocating.
“We did look at the statistics before we moved here,” Dexter said. “We were aware of what the city was like, and it’s lived up to our expectations. We’re not really worried about anything going on. I haven’t had any issues.”
Police officials say community involvement remains a key factor in maintaining the city’s declining crime trend.
The numbers remain preliminary and could change slightly as final crime reports are submitted to the Virginia State Police in the coming months.