Washington, D.C. has had three periods in 2025 where there were no murders for more than a week, despite claims by President Donald Trump suggesting otherwise—as of Monday evening, the capital had not recorded a homicide for 12 days.
According to police data, there were two seven-day periods where there were no murders in the city in April and May 2025 and a period from February to March where there was a 16-day period where no homicides were committed. This is despite Trump saying that it had been “many years” since the city had a murder-free stretch of a week.
Why It Matters
Scrutiny of D.C.’s crime rate comes after Trump placed the city’s police department under federal control and deployed National Guard troops to the city. He has repeatedly claimed there is a high crime rate in Washington, saying it had “become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world.”
On Monday, he signed an executive order directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to create specialized National Guard units in Washington, D.C. and nationwide that are trained to handle “public-order issues.”
Trump’s efforts build on a previously signed executive order titled “Making The District of Columbia Safe And Beautiful,” that seeks to reduce crime in D.C., among other measures.
What To Know
On Monday, Trump claimed that it had been “many years” since the city had a murder-free stretch of a week and said that crime was falling. He also told reporters that the then 11-day stretch without murders was “the first time that’s taken place in years, actually years.”
However, in April and May 2025, there were two seven-day periods where there were no murders in the city. From February 25 to March 12, there was a 16-day period where no homicides were committed. This was the longest span without a killing in six years, according to police.
Meanwhile, data suggests Trump’s claims about the crime rate in D.C. are overstated. Washington recorded 187 homicides in 2024. This was a decline from 2023 when there were 274 homicides, its highest figure since 1997.
According to a January press release from the district’s U.S. Attorney Office, using police data, violent crime for 2024 hit a 30-year low, while other crimes including homicides, robberies, armed carjackings and assaults with a dangerous weapon also fell.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday: “The incompetent Mayor of Chicago just stated that, in DC, where crime has been brought down to almost nothing, there have been no murders in 9 days, something which hasn’t happened in years, and people are safe again, only nine people have been arrested. That is wrong, hundreds of criminals have been held, captured, and arrested, and their guns have been taken away. DC IS SAFE AND BOOMING!!!”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X: “Our mission to make D.C. safe again isn’t slowing down.”
What Happens Next
Whether the capital continues its murder-free spell remains to be seen.
The post How Rare Is DC’s 12-day Homicide-Free Run? appeared first on Newsweek.
