Official cites steep drop in shootings and homicides, points to coordinated prevention efforts

An agency official said Bakersfield is "safer from violent crime today than it was 5 years ago," citing a claimed decline of "more than 60%" in shootings and homicides between 2021 and 2024 and noting that gun-related homicides fell from 17 in 2021 to 3 in both 2024 and 2025. The official framed those figures as part of a broader update on the city's public-safety approach; the transcript does not provide independent sourcing for the numbers.

The official credited a combination of the Bakersfield Police Department, the Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention, and community partners for the results, saying the city has "adopted a data informed program with proven results from across the nation." The statement described teams that "work quickly to prevent retaliation and additional shootings" when violence occurs and emphasized ongoing urgency and focus on violence reduction.