Maricopa saw a 2% drop in crime per capita last year.

That was one of the first statistics Police Chief Mark Goodman offered during his annual report presentation to city council members last night. 

The number builds on a trend Maricopa Police Department has seen in recent years — its 2024 report showed a 1% drop — amid an overall demand in police services for a fast-growing city.  

Calls for service dipped from 33,477 in 2024 to 30,004 in 2025, and arrests declined slightly.  

However, other activity increased.

Incidents jumped from 20,124 to 28,847 and officers wrote 1,251 more reports last year compared to 2024.  

While Tuesday’s report did not break down specific categories, such as burglaries or homicides, it noted some of the top calls for service included traffic stops, welfare checks, suspicious persons or vehicles, parking problems and attempts to locate.  

The department’s dispatch center saw total calls climb by more than 9%, totaling 75,713 calls in 2025. Despite the increase, the department managed to maintain response times by answering 99.45% of calls within 15 seconds.  

MPD’s Criminal Investigations Division also saw its workload increase but also criminal indictments. Complex criminal cases assigned to detectives — such as missing teens, a multi-state fraud scheme and a narcotics operation — rose from 384 in 2024 to 475 last year.  

Criminal indictments increased by 67%.  

Goodman said the numbers reflect the city’s investment in public safety.  

“When the city invests in public safety capacity, the community receives a return in safety, service and stability,” he said, adding the drop in crime is a “meaningful public safety outcome in a rapidly growing city.” 

He also stated that while the numbers are higher, “it’s a reflection of our detectives looking at a case and thinking to themselves, I can solve this case. I have the technology, I have the ability, I have the training to solve these cases.” 

That’s because the department is shifting its focus from closing cases to solving them, a notable move amid a report of mishandled cases before his tenure.  

“Our commitment is not just to close cases. It is to make arrests and to give justice to victims,” Goodman said.