Violent crime fell significantly across the United States and in the North Texas region over the past year, according to new data released by the FBI. The agency’s 2025 Crime in the Nation Report recorded approximately 1.1 million violent crimes nationally, reflecting a 9.3 percent decline compared to the previous year.
North Texas mirrored that national trend, posting a 9 percent overall drop in violent crime. The region saw a 12 percent decrease in murders, a 13 percent drop in robberies, a 7 percent reduction in sexual assaults and an 8 percent decline in aggravated assaults.
Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Joe Rothrock attributed the improvements in part to stronger collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies. He pointed to several targeted operations as key contributors to the downward trend.
One of those efforts was Operation Red Card, a multi-city initiative spanning North and East Texas that focused on removing violent offenders from communities ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Rothrock said federal prosecutions tied to the operation covered offenses ranging from narcotics and firearms violations to 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 over the course of a month to target child predators, resulting in 270 arrests and the rescue of more than 80 children.
Rothrock acknowledged that the FBI’s statistics carry some limitations. Out of more than 19,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide, roughly 17,000 currently report data into the FBI’s crime tracking program. The figures also only capture crimes that victims report and that agencies then pass along to the FBI.
“It is generally referred to as an estimate because it is the reported information from law enforcement agencies” Rothrock said. He added that the data still represents a strong enough sample to confirm a meaningful nationwide decline.
Rothrock also addressed the FBI’s increased coordination with immigration enforcement agents over the past 18 months. When asked whether he believes the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown deserves credit for the drop in violent crime, he stopped short of making that direct connection.
He said the partnership with immigration agents is focused on identifying individuals driving violent crime in local communities and that if those tools prove effective, the FBI intends to keep using them.
