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Columbus crime numbers, empty houses, and a monitored alarm
The Columbus Dispatch reported that Columbus finished 2025 with 84 homicides — about a 33 percent decrease from 2024 and the lowest count since 2007. Mayor Andrew Ginther told reporters one homicide is too many. That mix is citywide. It is not a reason to leave a German Village side door unlocked on a Tuesday while you sit downtown.
What Columbus finished 2025 with
Citywide, homicides fell to 84 in 2025 from a higher 2024 total, about a 33 percent drop and the lowest since 2007, according to Columbus Division of Police figures reported by the Columbus Dispatch. Those counts mix German Village, the Short North, Clintonville, Hilltop, and downtown. A quieter street is not 24/7 monitoring, and a neighbor on the porch is not an ADT operator. We do not publish neighborhood crime rates.
Direction on the citywide total is real. Axios Columbus also reported the 2025 homicide count as the lowest in 16 years. The reason people still order is occupancy: porch packages, a tried door, and houses that sit empty after drop-off or a commute on I-70 or I-71.
Boxes on German Village, Short North, and Clintonville porches
Walkable streets are why people add a doorbell. German Village, Short North, Victorian Village, and Clintonville houses collect boxes on porches while owners are at work, on I-71, or downtown. A camera you check yourself is useful. It is not the same as ADT calling you when a door opens.
The system is for the hours no one is looking out the window — not a claim that Bexley or Upper Arlington is dangerous.
Empty houses after school drop-off and the ring commute
Columbus City Schools drop-off empties in-city two-stories. Olentangy, Dublin, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Hilliard, and South-Western empty the rest of the map until pickup. A downtown shift empties German Village and Short North doors the same way. That is when people want the system armed.
What people actually order after a missing box or a leftover keypad
Door and window sensors, including the garage and any extra unit if you have one. A doorbell camera if packages sit out front. Outdoor cameras if the driveway holds a car overnight. Cellular backup so the panel still reaches ADT when AEP Ohio or Wi-Fi drops. That is the Columbus order, not a twelve-camera quote unless you ask for one.
Get a quote: (380) 600-9919 Neighborhoods we serve
Source: Columbus Division of Police / Columbus Dispatch (84 homicides in 2025, about 33% down from 2024, lowest since 2007). Axios Columbus, January 8, 2026. Mayor Andrew Ginther. Numbers change. We cite the date. We do not publish neighborhood crime rates.
Is Columbus “safe enough” to skip monitoring?
Citywide homicides were down in that 2025 count. Porch theft and empty houses did not take the year off. Monitoring is for the hours you commute, work a downtown shift, or leave for school drop-off — not a verdict on your ZIP.
Do quieter streets like Bexley still order ADT?
Yes. Bexley, Clintonville, Upper Arlington, and Dublin orders are usually school-day empties, leftover keypads, and packages on the porch. Same ADT watch as German Village. Independent cities are not Columbus Division of Police. We name the desk from the ZIP. We do not invent neighborhood crime rates.
Will Columbus police come if the alarm trips?
ADT can request help based on the alert type. Inside the city that is typically Columbus Division of Police. Dublin, Westerville, Grove City, and other cities dispatch differently. Confirm the office from your ZIP. City of Columbus currently has no user-permit dollar while the License Section program is suspended — confirm (614) 645-8366.