The Kansas City Police Department's latest crime statistics reveal that as of Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, the department reported 108 homicides, a 12% decrease from this time last year. Nonfatal shootings have also seen a significant dip: In 2025 there were 338 nonfatal shootings at this time. This year there have been 267. That's a decrease of 21%. According to KCPD spokesman Sergeant Phil DiMartino violent crime is falling for a few different reasons.
"We know because of the things we have implemented through Chief Graves' crime plan, with collaboration with the prosecutor's office and our many city partners, we’re seeing results," he said. "We're trending in the right direction.”
The KCPD won additional funding last year — a $3.5 million infusion from the public safety sales tax. The funds were applied to overtime and legal settlements.
"Way far into the year and we've used monies for, like overtime or whatever the situation may be," Chief Graves recently told KCUR's Up to Date. "I know some of that was for lawsuits. I'm just going to say it ... We are still short-staffed a bit. And we needed we needed some assistance with the overtime."
Graves went on to review the citywide focused deterrence program, a strategy detailed in KCPD’s Crime plan in which investigators focus on repeat violent offenders. The strategy is designed to monitor these individuals closely and see if they can't keep them from committing additional crimes. Graves says it’s one of several practices they’re applying to reduce violent crime.
There are three key strategies," she said. “Deterrence is part of those three key strategies. Also, community engagement, keeping our community involved in the crime that's happening in that neighborhood.”
DiMartino said drops in violence are occurring in high-crime neighborhoods – where police patrols happen to be located.
“Center zone, for example, there (were) 21 homicides this year compared to 26 last year,” he said. “East patrol is at 30 this year compared to 42 last year (as of October 15, 2026), so those are a couple of our division stations where we're seeing decreases.”
Another strategy the KCPD uses is to measure trends in neighborhoods. If a cluster of violent incidents is happening in one place, KCPD sends resources tailored to that community’s needs. Though the statistics show improvement in shootings in Kansas City, DiMartino says they need to do even better. He says 51 of this year’s 108 homicides have occurred as a result of a disagreement that escalated into violence, not including the killing on Sunday, Oct. 18, which is still under investigation.
“You know, I will always acknowledge progress; we are seeing results in things; however, seeing a number at 267 (referring to nonfatal shootings — people who were shot but did not die), that's far too many in our community.”
