ATLANTA — As the November election inches closer, campaign ads are already taking over people's screens.
One of those involves a major race -- the Fulton County District Attorney.
The current one, Fani Willis, has been receiving national attention following the RICO indictment involving former President Donald Trump and the push to have her removed from the case. Willis will be facing a Republican challenger in November.
An ad by Willis first came out on May 20, where she claims that homicides are down 21% and violent crime is down more than 25%.
"We have the third largest crime drop in America. People deserve to live free of crime," Willis continued.
The current DA made a similar claim during her victory speech on May 21 when she won the Democratic primary in her bid for re-election. Our VERIFY team has spent the past three weeks working to confirm where Willis' team got those numbers -- and whether the claims add up.
11Alive started by reaching out to her campaign team as well as the City of Atlanta. The city mentioned a joint meeting with Mayor Andre Dickens and Police Chief Darin Schierbaum on Jan. 4.
SOURCES
QUESTION 1
Are homicides down 21%?
ANSWER
Yes, there was a 21% drop in homicides in Atlanta.
WHAT WE FOUND
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum confirmed this number in a Jan. 4 meeting with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
"Homicides which are down 21% in our city," he stated. "Shooting incidents are down 15% and the number of people that were shot down 23%"
The Department of Justice (DOJ) also released data in June confirming this. From 2022 to 2023, the City of Atlanta saw a 21% drop in homicides.
So we can VERIFY that, yes, there was a 21% drop in homicides in Atlanta.
QUESTION 2
Is violent crime down more than 25%?
ANSWER
No, violent crime is not down more than 25%
WHAT WE FOUND
The DOJ characterizes violent crime as homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults.
According to 2022 and 2023 data from the DOJ, the report shows a 50% drop in rapes and about a 15% decrease in both robberies and aggravated assaults in Atlanta.
Compared to totals from the year before, that would amount to a 16.8% drop in violent crime in 2023.
So, we can VERIFY that Willis' claim that violent crime is down more than 25% is not true.
QUESTION 3
Have we seen the third-largest crime drop in America?
ANSWER
No, Atlanta did not see the third-largest drop in violent crime.
WHAT WE FOUND
The DOJ's report only includes data from 69 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. that self-reported. The process is not mandatory, so not every city in the country is included.
According to the report, Atlanta had the 8th-largest drop in violent crime from 2022 to 2023. San Antonio, Texas, ranked third and Arlington, Texas, ranked sixth.
We also looked at APD's weekly crime data reporting, which shows homicides in Atlanta currently are equal to this time last year. The data shows rapes are also up 4%, robberies are down 21% and aggravated assaults are down 12%.
So, based on the reputable data available from our other sources, we can VERIFY that no, Atlanta did not see the third-largest drop in violent crime.
11Alive has asked Willis’ campaign team how it established her claims – but they have not responded.
11Alive is committed to helping you vote confidently by understanding the 2024 election issues that impact you. Our goal is to educate and inform our audience about the election process. We plan to do that by verifying facts, providing context, and explaining the system. Get more election resources here at /vote.