by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Washington, D.C., has recorded its lowest homicide levels in a decade following President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to the nation’s capital, according to local and federal officials.
The District went nearly three weeks without a single murder at the start of 2026 — the longest such stretch in almost 30 years — with the first homicide of the year not occurring until January 21. For the entire month of January, the Metropolitan Police Department reported just two homicides, down sharply from nine during the same period in 2025.
President Trump authorized the Guard’s deployment on August 11, 2025, citing the need to restore law and order amid soaring violent crime. Troops arrived the following day, supporting MPD patrols, securing major transit hubs, and guarding federal landmarks. The federal presence allowed local police to shift from routine security duties to intensified crime enforcement operations.
At the time of the intervention, Washington, D.C., faced one of the worst public safety crises in the nation, with homicide and robbery rates surpassing those of all 50 states. In 2024, the city’s homicide rate reached 27.54 per 100,000 residents, while vehicle thefts exceeded triple the national average.
Although a federal judge ruled the deployment unlawful in November, the U.S. Court of Appeals granted a stay in December, permitting the National Guard to remain during the government’s appeal. The mission has since been extended through the end of 2026.
Federal officials say the sharp decline in killings marks a historic reversal from the city’s 2023 peak of 274 homicides and credit coordinated federal intervention as the primary factor behind Washington, D.C.’s improved stability.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian diplomats convened this week in Abu Dhabi for a second round of trilateral peace talks aimed at ending Moscow’s four-year war against Kyiv, marking a rare continuation of direct negotiations between the two sides.
In one of its first closely watched cases, Pakistan’s newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) ruled that an underage Christian girl should remain with her “Muslim husband” despite concerns about her age and religious rights, Christians confirmed to Worthy News on Wednesday.
Horrifying accounts continue to emerge from Iran after last month’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests, with activists and rights groups describing scenes of extreme brutality and alleging killings that reportedly continued even inside hospitals and detention centers.
Indonesia has pledged to crack down on alleged stock manipulation and accelerate financial reforms to restore investor confidence after a sharp market selloff raised concerns about transparency in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Polish authorities on Tuesday detained a Defense Ministry official accused of spying for Russian and Belarusian intelligence services in one of the most significant espionage cases to surface within the government since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, officials confirmed.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met Tuesday in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, underscoring deep skepticism in Israel and Washington over the prospects for a deal with Iran, even as diplomatic efforts continue ahead of planned talks later this week.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed legislation ending a four-day partial government shutdown after the House narrowly approved a sweeping funding package earlier in the day.