Violent crime plummeted in U.S. last year, White House official says

By Emma Nicholson, Cara Tabachnick News Editor Cara Tabachnick is a news editor at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com Read Full Bio August 14, 2026 / 10:58 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Violent crime rates in the U.S. have plummeted with their biggest one-year drop on record, a White House official said Friday as the FBI prepared to release its finalized crime data for 2025. The statistics show an 18.1% decrease in the murder rate compared with the prior year, the official said.Violent crime rates in multiple categories also saw significant year-over-year decreases across the country, with aggravated assaults falling by 7.2%, rapes declining by 7.6% and robbery down 18.5%, according to the White House official.They also said motor vehicle theft decreased by 22.7% in 2025 and burglary decreased by 15.8%.The FBI is expected to release its final report on the crime statistics later today. President Trump is expected to speak about the drop in crime at a press conference this afternoon, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.Since taking office in January 2025, the Trump administration has pursued a hard-line approach to public safety. These efforts included major immigration crackdowns in cities across the country, notably resulting in the highly publicized shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The administration has also overseen the deployment of National Guard troops to several big cities. In Washington, D.C., the National Guard was sent to assist local police with high levels of vehicle theft and gun violence, a move that remains a point of intense public debate.Despite the administration's focus on federal action, many criminal justice experts argue that the downward trend results from several complex factors rather than a single policy."The homicide drop is historic and crystal clear. But right now, what's driving it is about as clear as a glass of milk," said Adam Gelb, CEO of the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank that released an early analysis of the UCR data. "Rates are falling in cities with very different public safety strategies, economic conditions, and political leadership. The consistency across the map should make us cautious about handing credit to any one leader, party, policy, or program before the evidence catches up," he said.Gelb noted that societal shifts, such as technology keeping more people at home and a decrease in alcohol abuse, may play a role in the historic homicide drop. He also said that a surge in drug overdose deaths has left tens of thousands fewer "high-risk" individuals on the streets than five years ago, which may contribute to the lower homicide numbers.This is a developing story and will be updated. In: Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime