DC is experiencing multiple situations unfolding simultaneously. A federal investigation has been launched into whether the city’s police department manipulated crime data. The latest attempt by the administration to weaponize the justice system against political opponents. In pushing to take over D.C.’s police force, Trump continues to falsely portray the city as being overrun by crime claims that run counter to the facts.
Crime in D.C. has, in fact, been falling dramatically. In 2024, overall violent crime dropped by about 35%, reaching its lowest level in more than three decades, with homicides down roughly 32% and carjackings plummeting by over 50% compared to 2023. More recent data shows that through 2025, violent crime remains on a downward slope evidence points to a 26% year‑over‑year drop, with most categories continuing to decline. MPD’s August 2025 figures also reflect these trends: homicides down about 11%, sex abuse cases down nearly 48%, assaults with a weapon cut by 19%, robberies down nearly 30%, and total violent crime down approximately 26% compared to the previous year.
Looking further back, this is not a short-term shift violent crime in D.C. has followed a long-term downward trend since the spike in the early 1990s, during which the city was once labeled America’s “murder capital.” For example, violent crime rates, and especially homicides, have consistently decreased each decade, dropping by more than half between the mid-1990s and 2018. The 2024 low marks a continuation of this decades-long decline.
At the same time, Republican governors have dispatched troops. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has sent around 160 National Guard personnel. Mississippi is contributing approximately 200, Louisiana about 135, South Carolina also 200, West Virginia between 300 and 400, and Ohio another 150. Altogether, these six states have brought in well over 1,000 additional forces, and with other deployments topping out near 1,800, the federal presence is substantial. 
Meanwhile, Jeanine Pirro, the administration-appointed U.S. attorney for the District, has instructed her office to pursue the most severe possible charges, pushing for federal prosecutions whenever she can. She’s also reportedly considering lowering the age at which a young person can be charged as an adult to 14.
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