The FBI is reporting a significant decline in violent crime both nationally and across the North Texas region, according to newly released data from the agency’s 2025 Crime in the Nation Report.
Nationwide, approximately 1.1 million violent crimes were reported, reflecting a 9.3 percent decrease compared to the previous year. The figures cover offenses including murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
North Texas mirrored that trend with a 9 percent overall drop in violent crime. The region saw a 12 percent decline in murders, a 13 percent drop in robberies, a 7 percent reduction in sexual assaults and an 8 percent decrease in aggravated assaults.
Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Joe Rothrock attributed the improvements in part to strengthened partnerships between federal and local law enforcement agencies. He pointed to several targeted operations as key contributors to the numbers.
One of those efforts was Operation Red Card, a coordinated crackdown on violent offenders across dozens of cities in North and East Texas conducted ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Rothrock said federal prosecutions from that operation ranged 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 noted that the statistics come with limitations. Roughly 17,000 of the nation’s more than 19,000 law enforcement agencies report into the FBI’s program, meaning the data represents a strong but incomplete sample of actual crime trends.
“It is generally referred to as an estimate because it is the reported information from law enforcement agencies” Rothrock said. He described the participating agencies as a solid representative sample that reflects a meaningful national decline.
Rothrock also acknowledged that cooperation between the FBI and immigration enforcement agencies has grown over the past 18 months with a focus on identifying criminals who are in the country illegally. When asked whether he credits the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies for the crime reduction Rothrock stopped short of a direct endorsement.
He said the collaboration is focused on identifying individuals driving violent crime in local communities and that if immigration enforcement serves as a useful tool in that effort the partnership will continue.
