Overview
A new report released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) reveals that violent crime in the United States has been declining — including in several major cities where former President Donald Trump either deployed or threatened to deploy National Guard troops. Despite political rhetoric and claims of surging violence, data shows that cities like Portland, Memphis, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Los Angeles had already been experiencing downward trends in violent offenses before federal intervention.
National Crime Decline
The MCCA report, published on November 3, analyzed crime statistics from 67 major cities across the U.S. and 9 cities in Canada between January 1 and September 30, comparing those numbers to the same period in the previous year. The analysis covered four major categories of violent crime — homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
Nationwide, the data points to a clear reduction in all categories:
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Homicides: 4,143 in 2025, down from 5,126 in 2024
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Rapes: 20,407 in 2025, down from 21,728 in 2024
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Robberies: 66,501 in 2025, compared with 81,860 in 2024
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Aggravated Assaults: 194,804 in 2025, down from 216,466 in 2024
These figures show a broad trend of improvement, suggesting that violent crime across major metropolitan areas was already declining before the controversial deployment of federal forces.
Portland’s Numbers Tell a Similar Story
Portland, Oregon — one of the cities where Trump attempted to deploy National Guard troops before being blocked by a federal judge — also reported significant declines in violent crime.
Between January and September 2025, Portland police recorded:
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Homicides: 34, down from 56 in 2024
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Rapes: 253, compared to 274 in 2024
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Robberies: 756, down from 828 in 2024
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Aggravated Assaults: 2,299, compared to 2,354 in 2024
Despite ongoing concerns about public safety, these statistics indicate that violent incidents were already trending downward well before any federal action.
Similar Trends in Memphis
Memphis, another city where the president sent troops in September 2025, experienced similar declines across every major crime category.
From 2024 to 2025, the city reported:
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Homicides: Decreased from 202 to 164
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Rapes: Dropped from 260 to 199
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Robberies: Declined from 1,609 to 1,259
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Aggravated Assaults: Fell from 5,796 to 4,718
Despite this evidence of reduced violence, federal forces were still deployed to the area, raising questions about the reasoning behind such interventions.
Washington, D.C.: Violence Down Before Deployment
In Washington, D.C., where troops were deployed in August 2025, data from the Metropolitan Police Department also showed a decrease in nearly all violent crime categories.
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Homicides: Fell from 139 in 2024 to 109 in 2025
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Rapes: Declined from 121 to 71
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Robberies: Remained steady at 802
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Aggravated Assaults: Dropped from 1,595 to 1,053
Despite the data showing progress, the administration continued to cite “out-of-control violence” as justification for military presence in the capital.
Chicago’s Sharp Decline in Violent Crime
Chicago, long a focal point in national discussions about urban crime, also reported significant reductions in violent offenses during 2025.
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Homicides: 323, down from 450 in 2024
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Rapes: 1,485, down slightly from 1,501
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Robberies: 4,572, down from 6,904
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Aggravated Assaults: 11,469, down from 14,061
Even as crime dropped, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to demand troop deployment to “restore safety” in the city. A federal appeals court later issued a preliminary ruling blocking that action, emphasizing that deploying the National Guard to local jurisdictions without consent violates legal boundaries.
Los Angeles: Declines Across All Major Categories
In Los Angeles, which saw troops deployed in June 2025 during protests, violent crime also trended downward in all major areas.
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Homicides: 177 in 2025, compared with 229 in 2024
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Rapes: 940, down from 1,136
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Robberies: 5,486, down from 6,536
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Aggravated Assaults: 11,590, down from 13,691
Although the troops were later withdrawn and a federal judge ruled the deployment illegal, the city’s data suggests that violence was already in decline before any military involvement.
Broader Implications and Political Context
The MCCA’s findings challenge claims that violent crime was “out of control” in America’s major cities. Political rhetoric often portrayed cities like Portland and Chicago as lawless zones, yet the evidence shows that law enforcement agencies in these cities were already successfully reducing violence.
Experts argue that such misrepresentations can erode public trust and distract from more effective, community-based solutions to crime prevention. They also emphasize the importance of data-driven policymaking over reactionary measures.
The federal court decisions that blocked or reversed several National Guard deployments underscore the constitutional limits on presidential authority and reinforce the autonomy of local governments in managing their public safety strategies.
Conclusion
The latest report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association paints a clearer, data-backed picture of the state of violent crime in America. Across nearly every major city examined — including those where the former president intervened — violent crime rates have dropped significantly between 2024 and 2025.
From Portland to Los Angeles, the downward trend highlights the effectiveness of local policing strategies and community efforts, despite political narratives suggesting otherwise. The findings serve as a reminder that accurate data, not political messaging, should guide the nation’s understanding of crime and safety.
