Citi Stat Violent Crime 2022

For the purpose of this discussion a violent crime or crime of violence is a crime in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent crimes include crimes committed with weapons.

What do the numbers tell us about Violent Crime is Little Rock?


Comparison by year

As a City we've gone from 43 homicides in 2019 to 64 in 2021. Thats an increase of 27.91% from 2019 to 2020 and 16.36% from 2020 to 2021. Thats an overall increase of about 48% from 2019 to 2021.

Who is committing homicides in Little Rock?

While we have not been able to identify the suspect in every homicide, of those we have been able to identify, a significant number of the suspects are black males.  Most have been under the age of 35.
Since 2019 over 50% of all incidents have occurred in three zip codes.  Those zip codes are 72209, 72205, and 72204.

Most states saw their murder rates go up between 2019 and 2020. 

At least eight states saw their murder rates rise by 40% or more last year, with the largest percentage increases in Montana (+84%), South Dakota (+81%), Delaware (+62%) and Kentucky (+61%), according to the CDC. Higher-than-average increases also occurred in several heavily populated states, including New York (+47%), Pennsylvania (+39%), Illinois (+38%), Ohio (+38%) and California (+36%). The CDC does not yet have full-year data for New Hampshire and Vermont.

Want to reduce violence? Invest in place.


To understand the causes of—and potential solutions to—violence in the U.S., one must pay attention to the long-standing relationship between violence and place. Within cities, gun violence is concentrated in a small set of disinvested neighborhoods, and within these neighborhoods, such violence is even more concentrated within a small set of “micro-geographic places,” like particular streets.[3] This is a well-established trend that holds in every city or non-urban setting in which it has been studied.[4] And when it comes to solutions, a growing body of evidence also demonstrates the promise of micro-level place-based interventions (such as rehabilitating vacant lots or increasing the number of community organizations) in significantly decreasing violence within these neighborhoods.[5]
Decades of research have established that violence is spatially concentrated within America, disproportionately occurring within a select set of high-poverty disinvested neighborhoods—and within these neighborhoods, a select set of streets.[6] These are also places where the proportion of people of color is highest and indicators of structural disadvantage (such as poverty, lower educational attainment, and high unemployment) cluster.[7]
These neighborhood conditions directly stem from what my colleagues Andre Perry and Tawanna Black, among others, have called “policy violence.” For instance, a robust body of evidence demonstrates the connection between state-sponsored racial segregation and rates of violence. An analysis of historically redlined areas found that even after adjusting for the socio-demographic factors, “the same places that were imagined to be areas unworthy of economic investment by virtue of the races, ethnicities, and religions of their residents are more likely to be the places where violence and violent injury are most common almost a century later.”[8] A study of 103 major metropolitan areas found that from 1970 to 2010, racial segregation substantially increased the risk of homicide victimization for Black people.[9] Numerous studies have found that concentrated poverty, densely crowded housing, and a high density of alcohol outlets, mortgage foreclosures, and vacant buildings and lots are directly associated with higher rates of violence.[10] This in turn causes a range of other negative community impacts: People living in high-crime neighborhoods have higher death rates from stress-responsive diseases, are more likely to withdraw from neighborhood social and civic life, and are more likely to have pre-term births, which have lasting implications for children’s development across the community.[11]

Key Takeaways

The information above tells a very detailed and specific story about crime in the City of Little Rock.  We know that most of the known suspects in homicides in the city are young men under the age of 35.  We know that most incidents, whether violent or not, occur in very specific areas.  We also know that the trend upwards in violent crimes is not unique to Little Rock.  So we have to ask ourselves questions about the spike. 
  • Why are violent crimes taking place at an alarming level by citizens with a certain demographic makeup?
  • What is it about 72209, 72205, and 72204 that make them areas were the most incidents occur?
  • What factors are contributing to the spike in Violent Crime?
  • Did Covid impact violent crime numbers? If so, how?
  • What issues can we address at the city level?

How can we reduce crime in Little Rock?

  • Targeted programs that address the needs of suspects.  (Define needs)
    • Economic issues
    • Lack of employment opportunities
    • Mental Health issues
    • Drug/Substance Abuse
    • Family stress
    • Anger management issues
    • Food insecurity
  • Engage community leaders.
  • Encourage pride in the community.

What can we do?

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We have seen—and a substantial body of research shows—that crime tends to be hyperlocal, attaching stubbornly to certain “micro places.” A few hot spots, often that empty house or unmaintained corner lot, may generate the bulk of the crime in a neighborhood. Pinpointing interventions at those sites can produce outsize results.

Blight Reduction

Community Programs Violence Reduction Services Programs

Criminal background clearance to a minimum of (50) residents.
Placement of a minimum of (25) participants in jobs.
Conduct 100 bedside approaches with male survivors of assault.
Enroll at least 50 participants into the HVIP program.
Create violence prevention programs that maintain a 75% attendance rate.
Offer mental health and therapeutic sessions geared toward self-esteem and coping mechanisms.


The Steps for Progress

(Shelterforce is an independent publication)

Next Steps for Little Rock

  • Identify point person.
  • Examine policies and procedures related to goals. 
  • Allocate resources.