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% decrease compared to the previous year.
North Texas saw similar improvement, with a 9% overall decline in violent crime. That includes a 12% drop in murders, a 13% reduction in robberies, a 7% decrease in sexual assaults and an 8% drop in aggravated assaults.
Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Joe Rothrock attributed the progress in part to expanded partnerships between federal and local law enforcement agencies. He pointed to several targeted operations as key contributors to the decline.
One major effort was Operation Red Card, a multi-city crackdown on violent criminals across North and East Texas conducted ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Federal prosecutions from that 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 was careful to note that the figures come with limitations. Not all of the more than 19,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide report into the FBI’s crime tracking program and the data only reflects crimes reported by victims and then passed along to federal authorities.
“We have more than 19,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. 17,000 or so are reporting into this program” Rothrock said. He described the report as a strong representative sample despite the gaps.
Rothrock also acknowledged a growing collaboration between the FBI and immigration enforcement agencies over the past 18 months. When asked whether he agrees with President Trump’s claim that the drop in crime is linked to the administration’s immigration crackdown Rothrock stopped short of endorsing that position directly.
He said the partnership is focused on identifying individuals driving violent crime in local communities and that if immigration enforcement serves as a useful tool in that effort it will continue to be used. The FBI says it will maintain its collaborative approach with both local agencies and federal partners as it works to sustain the downward trend in violent crime.
