After increase in 2025, Fall River Police Department report reveals overall reported crimes are down, arrests up so far in 2026; here are the statistics

The Fall River Police Department has released its first mid-year public safety report, offering a snapshot of crime trends through the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.

Overall, both violent and property crime declined overall.

• Violent crime dropped 11.2%.
• Property crime fell approximately 8%.
• Total Part A crimes (the most serious violent and property offenses tracked by the FBI) decreased by about 9%.

Despite the overall drop in violent crime, two categories rose:

• Murders increased significantly (from 1 in the first half of 2025 to 4 victims in 2026, a +300% change; the report notes two separate incidents involving two murder victims).
• Reported rapes rose 8.6%.

Robberies fell sharply (–45.7%), and aggravated assaults declined 7.1%.Shootings and firearms:

• Confirmed shootings decreased 12.5%.
• Firearm seizures increased 50%.

Police activity rose across the board:

• Calls for service increased 2.6%.
• Total arrests jumped 23.1% (physical arrests up 7.4%, summonses up nearly 47%).
• Traffic enforcement strengthened, with traffic stops up 15.7%, citations issued up 43.8%, and motor vehicle crash reports up 12.5%.

Interim Police Chief J.T. Hoar said the report is meant to give the community a transparent “pulse check” on public safety halfway through the year.

The total statistics in the report:

Violent crime in Fall River rose 17%, robberies up 26% in 2025