The District of Columbia recently experienced a notable 12-day stretch without any murders, a first since January 2020. This situation follows President Trump’s federal oversight of the DC police, as reported by local law enforcement data.
Considering that over 100 murders have occurred in the city this year alone, this current pause in violence is quite uncommon—almost double the average seen in a regular year. The last recorded murder happened on August 13, just two days after Trump announced the police department’s federal status and the deployment of the National Guard to patrol the streets.
“For the past 20-30 years, the city has averaged a murder a day,” noted Vice President JD Vance on Monday. “So in just two weeks, thanks to the president and his team, maybe six or seven lives have been spared from violence in DC.”
Drug Enforcement Director Terry Cole shared that the morale among officers has significantly improved since the president’s directive was issued. He emphasized, “The officers from the Metropolitan Police are feeling reinvigorated. They’re ready to engage with the community and perform their duties effectively again.”
He added, “The connection to the community has been restored, and thanks to the president and our federal task force, DC is on its way to becoming safer.”
