OAN Staff Sophia Flores
4:47 PM – Monday, February 2, 2026
President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., has coincided with the capital recording its lowest homicide levels in a decade at the start of 2026.
The district marked its first three-week stretch without a single murder in nearly 30 years, with the first homicide of 2026 not occurring until January 21st.
Additionally, for the entire month of January, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) recorded just two homicides — a significant decline from the nine reported during the same period in 2025.
On August 11, 2025, President Trump signed executive orders authorizing the deployment of the National Guard to the nation’s capital as part of a mission to restore law and order. By the following day, troops began arriving to support the MPD, bolstering patrols in high-crime sectors and securing critical infrastructure, including Metro stations, Union Station, and other federal landmarks.
This surge allowed local law enforcement to pivot from routine security to active, high-level crime enforcement.
At the time of the president’s intervention, the District was grappling with a severe public safety crisis. Violent crime, murder, and robbery rates had soared past those of all 50 states, with the 2024 homicide rate reaching a staggering 27.54 per 100,000 residents. The city also led the nation in vehicle thefts, recording 842.4 incidents per 100,000 residents — more than triple the national average.
Following the federal mission, hundreds of troops still remain stationed throughout the District. While a federal judge ruled the deployment unlawful in November, the U.S. Court of Appeals granted a stay in December, allowing the Guard to remain while the government appeals.
This presence has now been extended through the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, the downward trend represents a historic shift from the city’s 2023 peak of 274 killings, with federal officials crediting the coordinated federal intervention as the primary driver of Washington, D.C.’s newfound stability.
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