The FBI is reporting a significant drop in violent crime both nationally and across North Texas, according to its newly released 2025 Crime in the Nation Report. Nationwide violent crime fell 9.3 percent compared to the previous year with approximately 1.1 million incidents reported.
North Texas mirrored that trend with a 9 percent overall decline in violent crime. The region saw a 12 percent drop in murders, a 13 percent reduction in robberies, a 7 percent decrease in sexual assaults and an 8 percent drop 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 improvement.
One major initiative was Operation Red Card which swept through dozens of cities across North and East Texas ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The operation resulted in federal prosecutions ranging from narcotics and firearms violations to robberies and kidnappings.
The FBI also expanded its footprint in high-crime areas of Fort Worth through Operation Safe Neighborhood. A separate statewide initiative called Operation Soteria Shield brought together 90 agencies and led to the arrests of 270 suspects along with the rescue of more than 80 child victims.
Rothrock was careful to note the limitations of the data. The report is based on crimes reported by victims and then submitted to the FBI by participating law enforcement agencies and not all agencies nationwide are part of the program.
“We have more than 19,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide and 17,000 or so are reporting into this program” Rothrock said noting the figures represent a strong but not complete picture of crime trends.
Rothrock also acknowledged that the FBI has deepened its partnership with immigration enforcement agencies over the past 18 months with a stated focus on identifying violent criminals in the country illegally. When asked whether he credits the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown for the crime decline Rothrock stopped short of making a direct connection.
He said the partnership would continue as long as it proved useful in removing dangerous individuals from communities. “If that is a tool that helps us to address violent crime then we will continue to use it” he said.
The FBI tracks violent crimes including murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Officials say the downward trend reflects coordinated law enforcement efforts at multiple levels of government across the region and the country.
