Editing Rochester, New York (section)

===Public safety===
Fire protection and [[Emergency medical services|EMS]] services are provided by the Rochester Fire Department. The department employs 509 personnel<ref name="firebudget">{{cite web |title=Fire: FY 2023-24 Budget |url=https://stories.opengov.com/rochesterny/published/cB6S3uXtd |website=City of Rochester, NY |access-date=27 December 2023|date=29 July 2023}}</ref> and operates thirteen engines, six trucks, and heavy rescue from fifteen [[fire station]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=ROCHESTER FIRE DEPARTMENT |url=https://www.cityofrochester.gov/rfd/ |website=City of Rochester, NY |access-date=27 December 2023}}</ref> In FY 2021–22, the department responded to 38,876 incidents.<ref name="firebudget" /> The current fire chief is Stefano Napolitano.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bianchi |first1=Kayla |title=New Rochester Fire Chief steps into new position on Monday |url=https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/mayor-appoints-new-rochester-fire-chief/ |website=Rochester First |access-date=27 December 2023 |date=9 August 2023}}</ref>

Law enforcement services are provided by the [[Rochester Police Department]]. The current chief of police is David Smith.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Putnam |first1=Emily |title=Meet RPD's new Chief, David Smith |url=https://www.whec.com/archive/meet-rpdrsquos-new-chief-david-smith/ |website=WHEC News 10 |access-date=27 December 2023 |date=13 July 2022}}</ref> Independent oversight of the department is provided by the Police Accountability Board, established in 2019 to investigate and discipline officers for misconduct. In 2023, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the board could not enforce disciplinary actions on any officers in the department, as it would violate the contract between the city and police union.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Canne |first1=Kayla |title=Police Accountability Board can't discipline officers, court says. What's next for PAB? |url=https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2023/11/20/rochester-police-accountability-board-loses-disciplinary-power-over-rpd/71654420007/ |access-date=27 December 2023 |work=[[Democrat and Chronicle]] |date=20 November 2023}}</ref>

In 2019, Rochester had 1,540 reported violent crimes. That same year, Rochester had 7,142 property crime incidents. These included 33 [[murder]]s, 429 robberies, 976 [[aggravated assault]]s, 1,269 [[Burglary|burglaries]], 5,222 [[larceny]] thefts, 102 forcible [[rape]]s, 651 [[auto theft]]s, and 83 acts of [[arson]].<ref name="crime">{{cite web |title=Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by City, 2019 |url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-8/table-8-state-cuts/newyork.xls |publisher=[[Uniform Crime Reports]] |access-date=10 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831164054/https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-8/table-8-state-cuts/newyork.xls |archive-date=31 August 2022}}</ref>

On November 12, 2021, Rochester Mayor [[Lovely Warren]] declared a [[state of emergency]] due to a rising violent crime rate in the city, which produced 81 homicides by December 31, the highest number of any year on record. Additional law enforcement assistance was requested from, and granted by, the state government.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rochesterfirst.com/crime/mayor-warren-declares-state-of-emergency-to-combat-violence-in-rochester/|title= Mayor Warren declares state of emergency due to ongoing violence in Rochester|access-date= November 14, 2021|work= Rochester First.com|date= November 12, 2021|archive-date= November 14, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211114191342/https://www.rochesterfirst.com/crime/mayor-warren-declares-state-of-emergency-to-combat-violence-in-rochester/amp/|url-status= live}}</ref> On July 21, 2022, Rochester Mayor [[Malik Evans]] declared another state of emergency due to ongoing gun violence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 21, 2022 |title=PROCLAMATION OF A LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY |url=https://www.cityofrochester.gov/uploadedFiles/Departments/Law/_Documents/Gun%20Violence%20Emergency%20Order%2012-13-21.pdf |access-date=August 14, 2022 |website=City Of Rochester}}</ref>

Rochester experienced a decline in its violent crime rate in both 2023 and 2024. In 2024, there were 37 reported homicide incidents (there were 45 victims), a 26 percent drop compared with 2023. There was also a sharp decline in automotive vehicle thefts in 2024—2,068 reported incidents, down from the record 3,943 in 2023. Overall, property crime incidents were down 33 percent in 2024 compared to 2023.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Schermerhorn|first1=Jacob |title=On crime, Rochester turned the tide in 2024|url=https://rochesterbeacon.com/2025/01/09/on-crime-rochester-turned-the-tide-in-2024/|access-date=7 April 2025 |work=Rochester Beacon|date=9 January 2025}}</ref>