Violent crime dropped significantly across the United States and in the North Texas region over the past year, according to new data released by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office. The agency’s 2025 Crime in the Nation Report recorded approximately 1.1 million violent crimes nationally, reflecting a 9.3 percent decrease compared to the previous year.
North Texas mirrored that national trend with a 9 percent overall decline in violent crime. Specific categories showed notable improvement, including a 12 percent drop in murders, a 13 percent reduction in robberies, a 7 percent decrease in sexual assault cases, and an 8 percent decline in aggravated assaults.
Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Joe Rothrock attributed the progress to stronger collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies. He pointed to several targeted operations as key drivers of the decline.
One major effort was Operation Red Card, a coordinated crackdown on violent criminals across dozens of cities in North and East Texas conducted ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Rothrock said federal prosecutions stemming from that operation covered a wide range of offenses including narcotics violations, firearms charges, robberies, and kidnappings.
The FBI also expanded its presence in high-crime areas of Fort Worth through Operation Safe Neighborhood. A separate statewide initiative called Operation Soteria Shield brought together 90 agencies to combat child predators, resulting in 270 arrests and the rescue of more than 80 children.
Rothrock noted that the statistics come with limitations. The report draws from roughly 17,000 of the more than 19,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide, meaning some jurisdictions are not included. The data also only reflects crimes that were reported by victims and subsequently submitted to the FBI by local agencies.
“It is generally referred to as an estimate because it is the reported information from law enforcement agencies” Rothrock said. He added that the participating agencies still represent a strong sample of crime trends across the country.
Rothrock also acknowledged an increased partnership between the FBI and immigration enforcement agencies over the past 18 months. When asked whether he agreed with President Trump’s claim that his administration’s immigration crackdown is responsible for the crime reduction Rothrock stopped short of drawing a direct connection.
He said the collaboration continues with a focus on identifying individuals driving violent crime in local communities and that any tool helping to address that goal will remain in use.
