DC crime rates among highest nationwide as Trump declares emergency

As President Donald Trump looks to crack down on crime within Washington, D.C., by sending in federal law enforcement to patrol the city, data reveals the nation’s capital is plagued by violent crime when compared to other metropolitan areas around the country. 

In a news conference Monday, Trump announced he is planning to deploy members of the National Guard to the city’s streets while taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in an effort to restore safety and combat violence. 

“You can be anything you want, but you want to have safety in the streets,” Trump said. “You want to be able to leave your apartment or your house where you live and feel safe and go into a store to buy a newspaper or buy something, and you don’t have that now.”

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The move comes as the nation’s capital “averaged one of the highest robbery and murder rates of large cities nationwide,” according to an executive order, “Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia.” 

“Indeed, the District of Columbia now has a higher violent crime, murder, and robbery rate than all 50 states, recording a homicide rate in 2024 of 27.54 per 100,000 residents,” the order states. 

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In 2024, Washington D.C. placed fourth among 24 of the nation’s cities when comparing homicide rates per 100,000 citizens, according to a report conducted by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

“The recent increase of federal law enforcement officers across Washington, D.C., has already stopped vicious criminals, the distribution of deadly narcotics and the violent use of stolen handguns,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“President Trump’s bold leadership and decisive action will make our nation’s capital beautiful and safe again for its residents and visitors from all the world. The president’s efforts to crack down on crime is an incredibly popular policy that everyday Americans support.” 

St. Louis, New Orleans and Detroit accounted for more homicides per capita, the study reported. 

When compared to other major metropolitan cities, Washington D.C.’s homicide rate remained exceptionally high when placed alongside New York City’s rate of and Los Angeles’ rate, according to RIT.

MPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

While Trump’s ability to utilize the MPD is unique to the nation’s capital, federal law enforcement could integrate into other cities with high crime rates utilizing consent decrees, according to former NYPD Lt. Darrin Porcher. 

“That’s when the federal government comes in, and they review a police department,” Porcher told Fox News Digital. “And they’ll make a series of recommendations based on what the police department is not doing.” 

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Porcher pointed to the ability of federal law enforcement to collaborate with local authorities in crime-ridden cities in an effort to reform a department’s response to violence.  

“A lot of task force activity would be the key component,” Porcher said. “So, what the feds can do is send a series of FBI, DEA or ATF agents to a particular city, and they would be a part of a task force that works with the localized police departments. The resources would bridge together from both the city and the federal government to target the excessive crimes that are being committed in that particular area, whether it’s homicides, robberies, burglaries.”

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Despite the higher-than-average rates, the homicide rate within Washington, D.C., dropped 35% when compared to 2023, marking the lowest violent crime rates the city has seen in 30 years, according to the Department of Justice. 

“In addition to the overall violent crime reduction, homicides are down 32%,” the DOJ said in a news release. “Robberies are down 39%; armed carjackings are down 53%; assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 27% when compared with 2023 levels, with the District reporting the fewest assaults with dangerous weapons and burglaries in over 30 years.” 

However, residents within the nation’s capital insist the move by the Trump administration is a step in the right direction. 

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“This is something I think that’s been long overdue,” Jenn Pellegrino, chief spokesperson of America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital. “If you walk around our nation’s capital, which sees over 20 million visitors from all around the world every year, this is a lot of people’s first impression of what the United States of America is like.” 

Pellegrino has been living in Washington, D.C., for 15 years and has become disheartened by the state of the city she calls home. 

“While the left is saying that there’s nothing to see here, that the White House is overreacting to this situation, it’s about how people feel,” Pellegrino said. “They can say that the crime stats are down, which some are, but some are rising, like carjacking. People don’t feel safe, and something needs to be done to address that.” 

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Although instances of violent crime within Washington, D.C. are down when compared to 2023, reports of incidents involving property remain either relatively stagnant or trending upward. 

“I think that there is a significant need for crime reduction in a lot of these large cities, such as Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.,” Porcher said.

In 2025, property crime within the city is down by 4%, according to the MPD. Additionally, there have already been 2,926 reports of motor vehicle theft logged this year, approaching last year’s total of 2,940. 

“It’s time to get tough on some of the smaller crimes to prevent the more violent crimes that have been going on in the city,” Pellegrino said. “Because, honestly, if you walk around D.C., even in the middle of the daytime [or] a weekday, you’ve got to have your head on a swivel.” 

Pellegrino hopes the Trump administration’s efforts will set a standard for other cities grappling with crime throughout the country, while ensuring the nation’s capital is a safe place to visit, live and work. 

“These violent crimes can happen to anybody,” Pellegrino told Fox News Digital. “They don’t discriminate based on your politics. And, again, whether you’re a tourist coming to visit or you’re somebody that’s lived here, or you just work in the city, we deserve better than that. This is the United States of America. It’s the greatest country on Earth. Our nation’s capital should represent something better than the standard it’s been held to over the last several years.”