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. 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 trend with a 9 percent overall reduction in violent crime. Specific categories saw notable drops including a 12 percent decrease in murder, a 13 percent decline in robbery, a 7 percent drop in sexual assault and an 8 percent reduction in aggravated assault.
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 behind the numbers.
One major effort was Operation Red Card, a multi-city enforcement sweep across North and East Texas conducted ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The operation targeted violent offenders and resulted in federal prosecutions covering narcotics, firearms violations, 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 combat child predators, resulting in 270 arrests and the rescue of more than 80 children.
Rothrock noted that the statistics carry some limitations. The figures are based on crimes reported by victims and then submitted by law enforcement agencies to the FBI. Of the more than 19,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide roughly 17,000 participate in the reporting program making the data a strong but not complete picture of national crime trends.
The FBI has also increased coordination with immigration enforcement agencies over the past 18 months with a stated focus on identifying criminals residing in the country illegally. When asked whether the crime reduction is linked to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown Rothrock stopped short of making a direct connection but said the partnership would continue.
He emphasized that the goal remains identifying individuals driving violent crime in local communities and using every available tool to address it. The collaborative approach between federal immigration agents and the FBI is expected to remain in place going forward.
