Brooklyn Park Police Report Shows Crime Drops To 37-Year Low

The recent Memorial Day weekend proved busier than usual for the Brooklyn Park Police Department. There were multiple shots-fired calls and other significant crime cases.

But a recent presentation by Brooklyn Park police shows that particular spike in calls goes against city crime trends.

“One weekend does not make a trend,” said Inspector Matt Rabe at the May 26 city council meeting. “That weekend is an aberration.”

The police department released its 2025 annual report, which showed a 37-year low for crime. Rabe said the department began putting together an annual report several years ago to promote transparency.

“The number of people, the population of Brooklyn Park goes up and consistently over the last 35 years, our crime has continued to go down,” said Rabe. “That is the trend we’re seeing.”

Total crime has decreased since 2022 when there was 6,810 crime reports, numbers that include everything from homicides to many less serious offenses. Violent crime, which includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assaults, has also gone down over the last four years. Here is a look at the numbers, per Brooklyn Park police:   

Total Crime

• 2021 -6,449 cases
• 2022 – 6,810  
• 2023 – 6,091 
• 2024 – 5,714  
• 2025 – 5,427

Violent Crime

• 2021 – 357 cases
• 2022 – 320
• 2023 – 321
• 2024 – 240
• 2025 – 282

Shots Fired

• 2021 – 134
• 2022 – 116
• 2023 -70
• 2024 – 75
• 2025 -46

Vehicle Thefts (Attempted and Committed)

• 2021 – 384
• 2022 – 412
• 2023 – 431
• 2024 – 310
• 2025 – 207

Rabe also pointed out that incidents involving police use of force has gone down significantly from 72 cases in 2021 to a department record-low 36 cases in 2025. 

“Compared to national standards, these are very very low numbers,” said Rabe.

2026 Initiatives

Over the last several years, Brooklyn Park has been able to hire more women and people of color to its force. The department has set a goal to be at 30 percent women officers by 2030. It was at 18 percent in 2025, down slightly from 21 percent in 2024.

“We had a little dip in 2025 but still moving in the right direction overall,” Rabe said.

Rabe said the department has made investments in creating a real-time operations center (RTOC), space that houses staff to operate drones, monitor security cameras and share intelligence with officers out on patrols.

The RTOC also allows staff to watch bodycam footage live and talk to officers in real time.

“A person in the RTOC right now, if I was on a call, could watch what I’m doing, what I’m saying, could hear what I’m saying, and then can talk to me to give me information,” explained Rabe.

“Those are the types of things that allow us to make better decisions, that makes police officers safer, that makes community safer,” he added.

The department has also made investments in drones and body-worn cameras.

Brooklyn Park police have been working to install two drones each on five buildings throughout the city, essentially using drones as a first responder.

“It’s been very, very effective,” Rabe said. “When someone launches a drone and arrives on scene, the amount of information that they’re giving out is huge.”

The department also purchased new body-worn cameras that can translate up to 17 languages for officers in real time, said Rabe. The new cameras will allow officers to get answers to questions on scene using its AI features.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable,” said Rabe.

To view the very latest Brooklyn Park crime data, click here for the department’s crime statistics dashboard. 

Brooklyn Park police Inspector Matt Rabe points to his body-worn camera.

Also see: Brooklyn Park Police Unveil New Badges

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