For the first time in years, Washington, D.C. has gone 12 consecutive days without a single murder — a rare occurrence in a city that has long ranked among the nation’s most violent.
The streak began shortly after President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard onto city streets. The last murder occurred on August 13, two days after Trump’s declaration. The streak ended early Tuesday morning, when a fatal shooting in Southeast Washington broke the record.
This is only the second such stretch since violent crime began surging during the pandemic. The city previously recorded a 16-day streak without a murder in March, which police said at the time was “the longest in at least six years.”
Local residents told the New York Post that the visible presence of federal agents and law enforcement patrols has deterred potential offenders.
According to the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), Washington’s 2024 murder rate was 26 per 100,000 residents — a 30% drop from the previous year, but still higher than Chicago (21.8) and New York City (3.8). While most categories of crime have declined from their pandemic peak, they remain well above pre-pandemic levels. Between 2019 and 2024, carjackings rose 241%, auto thefts increased 143%, and murders were up 12%.
Since Trump’s federal intervention, the D.C. Police Union has repeatedly released data highlighting crime reductions. In a statement on August 25, the union reported that over the past two weeks, overall crime fell by 11%, including robberies (-42%), assaults with deadly weapons (-13%), carjackings (-85%), auto thefts (-24%), violent crime (-25%), and property crime (-10%).
On August 11, Trump declared at the White House:
“Our capital city has been taken over by violent gangs, bloodthirsty criminals, roaming youth mobs, drug addicts, and vagrants. We will tolerate it no longer.”
FBI Director Kash Patel also said on social media that federal agents have made more than 1,000 arrests since the takeover began.
On August 26, Trump vowed during a cabinet meeting to seek the death penalty for anyone convicted of murder in Washington, calling it a “powerful deterrent.” Analysts predict the statement will spark intense controversy in liberal-leaning cities and states.