Raleigh police are getting a picture of how crime is evolving in the capital city.

The department released its second quarter data, showing some improvement in some categories, on Wednesday.

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The data provided on Wednesday was comparing 2024 and 2023 for the months of April, May and June. Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson went over crime statistics and discussed continued efforts to address violent crime.

Data showed some modest increases in public safety, but when you widen the scope, it shows things may not be as positive as they appear.

Rusty Sutton and his partner opened up The Green Monkey in August. In that time, he has seen dramatic changes to how police interact with the surrounding area.

Namely, he's noticed a bigger presence with patrols on the streets.

"I felt like we had been sold a bill of goods that I wasn’t aware of," Sutton said. "It has gone from ugh to really good."

Raleigh police said some trends are positive for the department.

Raleigh police find decreases in several crimes
Some crime statistics are trending down in Raleigh, including business robberies, guns stolen from vehicles and aggravated assault with firearms.

They're seeing drops in firearms stolen from vehicles, robbery from businesses and aggravated assaults with a firearm as compared to last year.

"These are areas that we have been focusing on in the last year-and-a-half. I have been going over with staff saying we've got to find a way to impact these crimes and they are doing just that," Patterson said.

But it’s a snapshot of just three months.

When looking at the bigger picture and comparing 2024 to years past, many crimes are at 10-year highs through the first six months, including assaults, motor vehicle thefts and weapons violations.

Crimes at 10-year highs in Raleigh
Several crimes are hitting 10-year highs in 2024, through the first six months.

"I think we have seen those trends, those upticks across the nation and are not unique to Raleigh," Patterson said. "What is unique to Raleigh is the growth. With that growth, you’re going to have a segment of the population that is committing the crime."

The department said it has 67 vacancies that its hoping to fill soon to keep these numbers going in the right direction. Part of that effort includes increasing efficiency.

It's why the police department is launching a new civilian unit to investigate one of its top calls, car crashes. The hope is that will free up other officers to focus on combating violence across the city.