DC sees violent crime drop in first weeks of 2026
In early 2026, violent crime in washington, D.C., fell below pandemic-era levels, with the city recording just two homicides in January and a stretch of more than three weeks without a killing — the longest such run in nearly 30 years. The decline continues a multiyear downward trend after a deadly peak of 274 homicides in 2023; other violent and property crimes also dropped, producing an overall roughly 600-point reduction in crime year-over-year, though assaults with deadly weapons where up. The decrease followed federal intervention after President Trump declared a crime emergency in August 2025, placing the Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploying the National Guard and federal law enforcement. the management cited thousands of arrests and hundreds of firearms seized (the D.C. task force reported over 7,500 arrests and 735 illegal guns) as evidence of progress. critics,however,have questioned the legality and necessity of the federal takeover and noted that broader post-pandemic declines in crime were already underway.
Crime in DC drops below pandemic levels as city sees three-week stretch without homicide
Violent crime in Washington, D.C., continued its downward trend early in 2026, according to Metropolitan Police Department crime data, with the city posting one of its lowest homicide counts to start a year in a decade.
In January, the nation’s capital recorded only two homicides, one of the lowest monthly totals on record.
This continues a multiyear downward trend for the city, which is still recovering from a peak of 274 killings in 2023, which marked the city’s deadliest year in more than two decades.
D.C. went more than three weeks without a homicide at the start of 2026. The city previously saw a similar period without a killing following the deployment of the National Guard in late 2025.
During the National Guard deployment, D.C. saw a 12-day streak, but the start of 2026 marks the first time in nearly 30 years the city has surpassed 21 days without a killing.
The three-week streak ended Jan. 21 after a fatal shooting in Northeast Washington. During the same time period in 2025, there had been nine homicides.
Other violent crimes and property crimes also saw a significant drop at the start of 2026, marking an overall 600-point drop in crime in the last year. Assault with a deadly weapon is the only crime on the rise this month.
The crime drop has unfolded amid federal intervention at the hands of President Donald Trump.
In August 2025, Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in the District and placed the MPD under federal control under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act for the first time in history.
Federal law enforcement agencies and National Guard troops were deployed to assist local police, a move the administration credited with helping reduce crime.
The White House and U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted arrest numbers, prosecutions, and firearm seizures as evidence of progress earlier this month.
According to a White House fact sheet celebrating Trump’s first year in office, the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force executed over 7,500 arrests and seized 735 illegal firearms.
TRUMP THREATENS TO SUE GRAMMY HOST TREVOR NOAH OVER EPSTEIN COMMENTS
The federal role in D.C. has at times been controversial, with critics having disputed the necessity and legality of the takeover, pointing to crime trends that were already improving before the federal action.
Crime analysts have pointed out long-term trends showing that crime overall has dropped in post-pandemic America and D.C.’s drop mirrors nationwide trends.
Prior to 2023’s spike, violent crime in D.C. had been trending downward for years, reaching some of the lowest per-capita levels since the early 2010s.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
