On Aug. 11, President Donald Trump declared a public safety emergency in Washington, D.C., pledging to “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor.”
He has assumed control over the Metropolitan Police Department and activated the National Guard to help fight crime.
Trump’s bold moves have sparked debate over violent crime, homelessness, and fentanyl use in D.C., America’s window to the world and the home of its federal government.
While D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has drawn attention to falling violent crime numbers, critics note that the district remains a very violent place—and the local police union has alleged that some statistics are being manipulated to make the picture look rosier than it is.
DOGE Worker Assaulted
Earlier this month, a 19-year-old DOGE staffer, Edward Coristine, was left bloodied after 10 juveniles assaulted him during an attempted carjacking.
According to a police report obtained by The Epoch Times, the juveniles approached Coristine and his significant other, threatening to take their vehicle. Coristine said he pushed his significant other inside the vehicle “and turned to deal with the suspects.”
On June 30, a 21-year-old Congressional intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, was fatally shot in an incident that left two others injured. Police believe the University of Massachusetts student, an intern for Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas), was an innocent bystander.
Violent Crime, Homelessness, Fentanyl
As of Aug. 12, the Metropolitan Police documented 100 homicides in D.C. in 2025.
That’s down from 112 over the same period last year. Other violent crimes also fell.
In 2024, there were more than 180 homicides in the district, giving it a homicide rate of 27.3 per 100,000 residents.
That puts it fourth in the nation among large cities assessed by the Rochester Institute of Technology. Only St. Louis, New Orleans, and Detroit were deadlier.
In January, a point-in-time count revealed that 5,138 people in Washington were literally homeless—down from 5,616 in 2024 but up from 4,922 in 2023.
The opioid epidemic has also ravaged the nation’s capital, with opioid deaths surging from 83 in 2014 to 523 in 2023. Its overall overdose death rate in 2022 was higher than every state except West Virginia.
Crime Numbers Allegedly Manipulated
Bowser and former U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves have touted last year’s data, which showed a thirty-year low in violent crimes.
But D.C.’s crime numbers have come under scrutiny.
NBC Washington has reported there is an investigation into alleged manipulation of crime data. A police commander said to be at the center of that storm is on leave.
Greggory Pemberton, who leads the local police union, said officers have been told to downgrade offenses.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said that “any irregularity in crime data brought to my attention will be addressed immediately.”
—Nathan Worcester
BOOKMARKS
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Donald Trump’s administration is settling legal disputes with four universities over their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, and concerns about campus anti-Semitism. Let Aaron Gifford teach you the facts with his latest report.
The Voting Rights Act just turned 60 last week, but it has come under scrutiny by the courts because of lawsuits concerning the drawing of congressional districts based on race. Stacy Robinson has more in his latest report.
GE Appliances is relocating production centers from Mexico and Canada back to the U.S. as part of a $3 billion reinvestment plan. “American manufacturing—it’s back,” Kevin Nolan, president and CEO of GE Appliances, said at a press conference.
The International Maritime Organization, an agency that regulates maritime transport, is pushing for a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions framework by 2050. The U.S. is pushing back on that plan because it says “ships will have to pay fees for failing to meet unattainable fuel standards and emissions targets.”
—Stacy Robinson
