Although it doesn’t feel like it to residents in many American cities, violent crime is down — sharply down, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. He posted the numbers to social media Sunday:
Backing the Blue matters - “Violent crime rates plunge in America's big cities” https://t.co/JhWPdRSmYq
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) May 11, 2026
Crime shot up during the COVID pandemic, but the stats have shown a downward trend since.
Why it matters: Data from 67 major U.S. law enforcement agencies show violent crime fell across major categories during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2025.
- The declines show up across every major region, suggesting a systemic, nationwide trend.
- The quarterly reports collected by the Major Cities Chiefs Association have been a good measure of trends that are reflected in the annual FBI crime data released in the fall.
According to these numbers, fewer people are killing each other lately on the streets of our metropolises:
By the numbers: Homicides dropped 17.7%.
- Robberies fell 20.4%.
- Rapes declined 7.2%.
- Aggravated assaults decreased 4.8%.
It’s not like we’re suddenly out of the woods yet, however, as not all major cities saw declines:
The recovery remains uneven.
Some cities still reported increases in certain violent crime categories even as overall violence fell.
Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Virginia Beach, Va., were among the cities that posted overall increases in violent crime totals during the quarter, according to Axios' analysis of the MCCA data.
Police leaders also caution that crime trends can shift quickly heading into the summer months, when violence historically rises.
Denver officials recently warned about a potential seasonal spike after a string of killings despite the city's broader downward trend, Axios Denver's Esteban L. Hernandez reports.
While I would welcome a drop in crime, many Americans don’t feel the numbers tell the entire story. They watch the revolving door justice system favored by the progressives in states like New York and California, they see the same violent perps committing crime after crime, and they don’t feel safe walking down the homeless encampment-cluttered streets.
In fact, a Cicero Institute poll taken in October 2025 showed that 75 percent of respondents considered crime to be “increasing/staying the same,” while only 18 percent thought it was declining.
I can tell you that, as a resident of Los Angeles, where there’s currently a home invasion spree going on, residents are terrified, and police often show up long after the perps have fled. This is an almost-daily occurrence:
Burglars Attack Neighbor Catching Them With Bear Spray in Studio City😡
— American Crime Stories (@AmericanCrime01) May 11, 2026
As intruders broke into a home in Studio City, they encountered a neighbor prepared to confront them. The burglars retaliated by using bear spray against the man. On May 8, surveillance footage captured the… pic.twitter.com/Bp3vkv7QUT
Burglars Attack Neighbor Catching Them With Bear Spray in Studio City😡
As intruders broke into a home in Studio City, they encountered a neighbor prepared to confront them. The burglars retaliated by using bear spray against the man. On May 8, surveillance footage captured the suspects entering a residence on the 4200 block of Denny Avenue shortly after noon. The homeowners, who were away, received an alert from their security system about the break-in. In a panic, they notified the police and also sent a text to their neighbor, Steven Calabro, informing him of the situation. 🏡🚨
The Shocking Rise in Flash Mob Convenience Store Looting
CA Gov. Gavin Newsom will almost certainly crow about the new FBI stats, but you can bet your bottom dollar he won’t mention two salient points: 1) California had the nation’s sixth-largest violent crime rate in 2024, and 2) critics, including President Donald Trump, have long pointed out that the Bureau’s stats are incomplete. Why? In 2021, the FBI stopped accepting data from its old system as it transitioned to a new one — the National Incident‑Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Many law enforcement departments were not ready for the change, and critics argue that data from more than 6,000 institutions (roughly one‑third of all U.S. police agencies) were not included in the FBI’s crime data in 2022. Oh.
Remember this viral exchange between DNC cheerleader ABC News moderator David Muir and candidate Donald Trump at a September 2024 presidential debate?
Although progress with the crime reporting has been made, some of the issues remain, and “experts predict that the national crime data is likely to be incomplete for years to come.”
I’m all for falling crime and for Trump’s emphasis on law and order. Until it’s safe for me to talk to the local outdoor mall a half mile away, however (which it most certainly is not), it’s all just numbers to me and many like me. Keep arresting, Kash Patel, keep cracking down, FBI, keep working, ICE, and keep battling the Left over their soft-on-crime, put criminals first policies.
The Left will tell you that the numbers prove that their progressive vision is working, but it’s not. This is no time to let the foot off the accelerator.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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