GLENDALE, CA — Latest NIBRS crime data from the Glendale Police Department shows Glendale’s lowest year-to-date crime numbers in four years, putting the city on track for its lowest annual total crime since 2023 if current trends hold.
The data, updated monthly by GPD, tracks crimes like homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Data for January through May of 2026 shows an 11.6% decline compared to the same period in 2025. The drop is a continuation of a multi-year decline. Last year, total crime in the city fell by 7% according to NIBRS data.
The city started using the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in October 2022. Prior to that, it used the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, making it difficult to reliably track crime trends further back.
Glendale NIBRS annual crime data
Total NIBRS crimes Jan–Dec (2023–2025) and Jan–May year-to-date (2026), with full-year projection.
Source: Glendale Police Department NIBRS Crime Data.
Glendale is home to over 187,000 people, majority of them foreign-born according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city is often touted as one of the safest cities in the U.S., with overall crime rates below the national average.
While the data itself doesn’t point to a single cause, Mayor Ardy Kassakhian credits the decline to the police department’s shift toward modern policing along with the relationships the city has built.
“We are fortunate to have a close and productive relationship with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office,” the mayor said in response to a request for comment, “and, perhaps most importantly, with a community that has consistently supported its police department.”
Kassakhian also credited former Police Chief Manny Cid for “embracing new technologies and helping position the department to meet the challenges of modern policing,” and praised interim Police Chief Robert William for “solving problems before they become bigger ones.”
In an interview, GPD’s Public Information Officer, Sergeant Gaik Pobokhian, echoed the mayor’s comments about new technologies. In 2024, the department launched a “Real Time Intelligence Center” to provide officers with live information using analytical software. Pobokhian said the intelligence center has helped the department allocate its resources more effectively and find suspects faster.
Some of the decline in crime could also be attributed to the county’s approach to prosecution as the neighboring Los Angeles has also seen a reduction in violent crime. Pobokhian says that on the macro level, more cases making it into the justice system is also helping the reduction in crime.
How the DA’s office approaches prosecution has been a source of debate in LA County. In 2020, George Gascón was sworn in as DA on a platform of criminal justice reform. Gascón drew criticism for his reluctance to file charges against low-level offenders and his advocacy for ending cash bail, while his supporters praised his approach to juvenile offenders, arguing that prison-based approaches to juvenile offenders do not increase public safety in the long term. Gascón survived a recall effort in 2021 but lost his 2024 re-election bid to Nathan Hochman, a critic of Gascon’s policies.
Back at the local level, Pobokhian credited the decline not only to county-level policy but also to changes within the department itself, saying GPD added close to 30 new officers over the past three years while its arrest numbers stayed consistent, pushing back on the suggestion that lower crime numbers are due to weaker enforcement. Pobokhian said the department expects the downward trend to continue through the end of the year.
The mayor, though encouraged by the decline, cautioned that “we can’t simply take pride in statistics,” because it’s only half the story, “the other part is doing the work, remaining visible, accessible, and responsive.”
