Atlantic County had its safest year on record in 2025, the prosecutor announced Sunday.
Homicides, shootings and fatal motor vehicle crashes all were down about 50 percent over 2024.
There were 16 homicides in 2024, with 28 non-fatal shootings that same year.
Drug-related deaths were down nearly 46 percent.
“Violent crime was reduced by using bail reform as a public safety tool,” Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds said. “The credit belongs to our assistant prosecutors
and detectives, who successfully detained the most violent offenders at a rate of 47 percent, compared to the state average of 18 percent.
"Atlantic County leads the state in detaining the most dangerous individuals, and the results are clear,” he added.
Bail reform has been in effect since 2017, replacing the monetary system. As a result, charges are filed either on summonses or warrants.
Those charged with summonses, are released on the charges. Defendants charged on warrants are remanded to the jail pending a first appearance in central judicial processing court.
At that time, they are told whether they are being released on conditions or if the state has filed a motion to have them detained pending trial.
If a motion is filed, a hearing is held, and a Superior Court judge decides whether the defendant is held or released.
Aiding that decision is a public safety assessment that works on a 1 to 6 point system that rates both likelihood to appear and danger to the community.
Improvements in public safety went beyond violent crime, the prosecutor said.
Fatal motor vehicle crashes declined by about 48 percent, dropping from 56 in 2024, to 29 last year.
During 2025, seven arrests were made for vehicular homicide and related offenses.
The Prosecutor’s Office also reported significant reductions in drug-related deaths that he credited to focused enforcement, proactive investigations and coordinated response efforts.
Deaths decreased 45.9 percent over the two years. The 86 fatal overdoses in 2025 were down 66 percent from the 255 in 2022.
The office's training of local police on these efforts is ongoing to improve consistency, coordination and response times.
“These numbers represent lives saved and families spared unimaginable loss,” Reynolds said. “Our approach treats substance abuse as a public health challenge that requires compassion, coordination, and accountability. By working with law enforcement, public health partners and community stakeholders, we remain focused on prevention, rapid response, and long-term solutions.”
Reynolds also credited local police departments, along with his office's detectives and assistant prosecutors for these results.
“A very large majority of our cases originate with local police officers who put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect our communities,” he said. “Our
detectives and assistant prosecutors then build and prosecute those cases with precision and integrity.”
Reynolds emphasized that sustained progress depends on interagency cooperation.
“These results are only possible through strong partnerships among local, county, state and federal agencies, all committed to enforcing the law as written and holding offenders accountable,” he said.
He promised his office would continue to prioritize violent crime reduction, traffic safety enforcement, overdose prevention and coordinated interagency collaboration.
