In justifying a federal take over of policing in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump claims that crime in the capital city is on the rise and that homicide rates in 2023 were the highest ever seen. Neither is true, as the city's own crime statistics show. Violent crime did spike in 2023 following the pandemic, but instances of violent crime have fallen in the intervening years. The city recently recorded a 26% drop in violent crime last year. Trump also said homicide data from decades ago isn't available, but records from the 1980s and 1990s show the number of homicides routinely exceeded the numbers seen today.