Crime Rates Drop in DC Post-Trump’s Policies
Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County in California and a gubernatorial candidate, recently shared his insights on “Fox & Friends Weekend” regarding the shift in crime rates since President Trump’s administration. This discussion comes amidst Democratic leaders resisting Trump’s strict crime measures, particularly in relation to defunding police initiatives.
Data from researchers indicates that nationwide homicides hit historic lows last year. This marks a significant change after a rise in violent crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, a phase where many left-leaning leaders advocated for reducing police funding and releasing repeat offenders without bail.
The Criminal Justice Council’s report, which compared crime figures from 40 cities over eight years, revealed that 11 out of 13 crime categories showed decreases in 2025 compared to 2024. Notably, homicide rates fell by 21%. Other categories experienced similar drops, with nine of those categories decreasing by over 10%.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt remarked on Twitter that President Trump was committed to restoring law and order in the U.S. She shared a graph from the Council on Criminal Justice that illustrated the country’s murder rate being the lowest since 1900. Leavitt stated, “This is what happens when you have a president mobilizing federal law enforcement to apprehend the most violent offenders and illegal aliens.”
Trump has repeatedly emphasized the need to tackle crime, particularly in relation to immigrant offenses, and there has been a notable decline in crime rates in Washington, D.C. since he assumed a more active role. He also directed federal efforts in other cities where crime was a concern.
Among the cities studied in the report, Denver saw the steepest decline in homicides at 41%. Washington, D.C., and Omaha reported similar reductions at 40%. Other cities like Los Angeles, Buffalo, and Chicago also experienced declines greater than 30%.
Although certain cities experienced a rise in homicide rates, with increases observed in Little Rock, Fort Worth, and Milwaukee, overall violent crime decreased, reaching its lowest point since 2019. Auto thefts were down by 27%, and robbery and shoplifting also saw significant declines.
According to a separate Metropolitan Chiefs Association report, there was nearly a 20% decrease in homicides nationwide by the end of last year, based on data from 67 major police departments.
While the FBI has yet to release its national crime statistics for 2025, preliminary indications suggest a continued trend of improvement. This drop in homicides marks the fourth consecutive year of reductions, and projections suggest a drop of approximately 15% in 2024, which would have set a record at the time.
Law enforcement agencies indicated a 13% decrease in homicides nationwide in 2023, following a 6% drop in 2022. However, analysts note that homicides surged by 30% at the onset of the pandemic, peaking in 2021. Researchers found that the homicide rates in 2025 were not only lower than in 2024 but also 25% less than in 2019.
Josh Szilard, a former police officer and current law enforcement chief, commented on the declining trends, saying, “We finally crossed that mountain in 2023, which set the stage for a decline in violent crime that has continued into 2024. Now, with the 2025 figures coming in, acceleration in decline is apparent.”
Last year, several of the largest cities reported historically low homicide rates. For instance, New York City declared 2025 as its safest year for gun violence, with a historic low in mass shootings, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. In her statement, she emphasized that these significant declines were the result of a targeted, data-driven strategy.
Philadelphia also reported its lowest homicide rates in 60 years, while Chicago boasted a 30% drop in killings compared to the previous year.
Despite these positive trends, some areas, like Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, are still battling rising gun violence. Justin Keener, of Americans for Policing, noted the importance of focusing on high-risk offenders to make substantial improvements in public safety.
