ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Hours after officials announced Allentown’s fourth homicide of the year, Mayor Matt Tuerk and Police Chief Charles Roca stood together and declared the city a safe place.
Tuerk and Roca delivered an update on crime statistics through the first nine months of the year Thursday at Allentown Police Academy.
“Allentown is a safe city."Mayor Matt Tuerk
The city recorded three homicides through Sept. 30, including a July 6 fatal shooting that was deemed justified; a fourth was reported Oct. 1.
Jahlik R. Colon, 24, of Temple, was shot about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday in the 100 block of North Eighth Street. A half-hour later at a local hospital, he died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to officials.
Two men were arrested and charged in connection with Colon's death.
This year’s homicide count now matches last year’s total, which Allentown officials in January touted as a “historic” low.
Statistics presented Thursday by city officials reported six homicides in 2024, including two that were deemed negligent manslaughter.
'We know it's safer': Mayor
Tuerk pointed to a slew of positive statistics as he said “violent crime is down” and asked residents to acknowledge the “recency bias” caused by Colon’s death the night before.
“Allentown is a safe city,” Tuerk said Thursday, touting a decrease in aggravated assaults and other crimes when compared with an average of reports from 2022-24.
“All of the crime statistics indicate that Allentown is safer than many other cities around the Commonwealth. And we know it's safer because we've seen the numbers.”Mayor Matt Tuerk
He asked residents to acknowledge the “recency bias” caused by Wednesday’s homicide.
“All of the crime statistics indicate that Allentown is safer than many other cities around the commonwealth,” Tuerk said. “And we know it's safer because we've seen the numbers.”
He called Thursday’s conference “an opportunity for the city of Allentown and the Allentown Police Department to help our residents understand exactly where we stand as a city” in terms of crime and safety.
“We're not here to brag," Tuerk said. "This is not to talk about the successes that we've had in reducing crime in the city of Allentown."
The city's year-to-date statistics for 2025 show several crime categories on the rise compared with recent years: forcible rape, sodomy and sexual assault; counterfeiting and forgery; property thefts; and drug and narcotics offenses.
'People-driven work'
Roca credited technology for helping officers quickly arrest two suspects after Wednesday’s homicide in Center City Allentown.
Surveillance cameras and gunshot detectors from Flock Safety were instrumental in that arrest and many others since their installation in January 2024, he said.
“The right technology in the hands of motivated and highly professional police officers … solves crime."Police Chief Charles Roca
“The right technology in the hands of motivated and highly professional police officers … solves crime,” he said.
The city is working to better attract and retain officers at Allentown Police Department, Tuerk said.
He said a team of workers recently attended a weeklong session at Harvard University on talent management and diversifying a workforce.
The mayor said he does not plan to expand the police department in his upcoming budget proposal, but said officials must work to fill open positions and replace upcoming retirees.
Public safety “is people-driven work,” Tuerk said. “All the technology that we invest in, none of it works if we don’t have great people.”
