The media is scrutinizing President Donald Trump’s claims regarding violence in Washington, D.C., by highlighting potentially misleading crime statistics.
In response to incidents where former staff from his administration were attacked during a carjacking on August 3, Trump has sought to expand the presence of federal law enforcement in D.C. and has assumed control over the local police department. A media outlet and Democrat councillors challenged Trump’s assertions about violent crime, referencing data showing a reported 35% decrease in crime as noted by local police. However, this statistic does not account for serious offenses like felony and aggravated assault, presenting a more favorable picture of crime trends since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in D.C. includes only certain violent offenses—specifically murder, sexual abuse, and assault with dangerous weapons—among its “violent crimes” statistics, which reportedly showed a decrease in 2024. On the other hand, aggravated assault, defined as a violent crime causing physical injury, is excluded from this categorization despite indicating an upward trend.
An MPD spokesperson remarked that “femalicious assault” is not classified under the violent crime category on the D.C. index, yet did not provide detailed responses to inquiries.
According to FBI data, when encompassing a broader scope, reported violent crimes in D.C. decreased by merely 10% in 2024, still suggesting levels higher than those in 2018.
Additionally, murders have remained elevated since 2021, with a marked 12% increase in attacks involving weapons in 2023 compared to the previous year, as reported by the FBI.
A study from the Rochester Institute of Technology revealed that D.C. had the fourth-highest homicide rate in 2024, trailing only Chicago, Atlanta, Compton, and New York City. Among the victims were two workers at the Israeli Embassy and a few parliamentary interns, gaining significant media attention.
The White House voiced concerns, saying, “Unfortunately, fake news journalists and politicians misrepresent the facts, but our nation’s capital is not safe.”
The D.C. Police Union noted the involvement of 3,000 officers and mentioned a past incident where a police commander was investigated for allegedly tampering with crime statistics to downplay violence. An NBC4 Washington report cited management instructions that led to discrepancies in recorded felony assaults within the daily crime stats.
Even when crimes are reported, D.C. officials have faced challenges in prosecuting these cases effectively. The local crime lab lost its certification in 2021 over evidence mishandling and had a backlog of cases that resulted in delays until January for proper investigations.
Former President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice acknowledged complexities in the local crime data while crediting ongoing law enforcement efforts for a decline in violent crime.
Continuing his approach, Trump announced plans to deploy the National Guard to D.C. streets to restore law and order, alongside the increased deployment of federal law enforcement personnel throughout the district.
