In many ways, crime is a matter of perception and tolerance.
Yes, major indicators — from Washington, D.C., metropolitan police records to the FBI — show that crime rates are down in the nation’s capital. In 1991, the district recorded 482 murders. Through July of this year, it has recorded 96.
As crime analytics expert Jeff Asher reports on his blog, the number of carjackings rose sharply in Washington in 2023 but have since fallen. However, they remain at numbers higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
More concerning perhaps is the revelation that since the beginning of 2025, juveniles have made up more than 50% of arrests related to carjacking, according to D.C. police. As Deseret News reporter Cami Mondeaux wrote, a majority of those arrests are made up of teens who are 15 and 16 years old.
How much crime is too much?
The question is, how much is too much? And can Americans be proud of the nation’s capital city? The answers are subjective, but perceptions often carry more weight than reality.
President Trump announced this week that he is deploying the National Guard to take charge of police efforts in the nation’s capital city. He cited increases in juvenile crime and focused particularly on the case of a 19-year-old former DOGE worker who was attacked by 10 juveniles in a carjacking incident.
For that young man, we’re confident statistics mean little. What he suffered was an outrage, as is any violent crime. Members of Utah’s congressional delegation have said their own staffers have felt unsafe at times in the district.
Trump’s unusual move, however, will be judged by how it is executed.
Homeless encampments
The president also said he will order the removal of homeless encampments throughout the city. He offered few details as to where the homeless would be taken, other than to indicate it would be away from the city center.
This seems to be a continuation of the president’s earlier order, issued in March. ABC News quoted Interior Secretary Doug Burgum saying that more than 70 such encampments have been removed since then.
Homelessness is a concern in many of the nation’s largest cities. The Wasatch Front is no exception. Finding solutions, however, can be challenging.
In Washington, an estimated 798 people live on the street each night, according to one nonprofit. The most recent “point in time” census of homelessness — a nationwide one-day survey conducted yearly — found a 9% decrease in overall homelessness.
However, such surveys are often criticized for being incomplete, as some homeless people hide from authorities. Actual numbers are elusive, just as a certain percentage of crimes are never reported to police.
Efforts must be humane
Any effort at eliminating homelessness should emphasize the need to treat people humanely and to provide meaningful medical services and other programs to help them return to mainstream society. They should not simply be removed and forgotten.
And any effort to eliminate crime should be done carefully, avoiding racial profiling and with an eye toward the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
President Trump is within his rights to take control of D.C. police. Section 740 of the Home Rule Act gives him that authority for 48 hours, with an extension to 30 days in times of emergency. He may be the first president to use this authority, but the legality is unquestionable.
Washington is a unique case
Washington has a unique relationship with the federal government. Its residents first gained the ability to elect a mayor and city council during the Nixon administration. Initially, Congress had direct political control over the district.
For many Americans, facts about a falling crime rate may mean little. As a recent piece in Governing magazine put it, “When you take the rising number of conspicuous retail thefts, and add in the rare but heavily publicized random incidents of violence on subways and in other public places, you have a potent recipe for widespread public concern.”
The magazine quoted Adam Gelb, president of the Council on Criminal Justice, saying, “The numbers [of overall serious crime] are falling back to earth, but a combination of high-profile national incidents and street-level disorder are keeping people on edge.”
The National Retail Federation published a survey recently of loss prevention and security executives at 164 mid-size to large retailers. It unveiled a growing concern about “organized retail crime, shoplifting, return fraud, repeat offenses and theft related to the in-store pickup or return of merchandise that had been ordered online.”
Yes, statistics show clearly that crimes of all kinds are down nationwide. Perceptions, however, say otherwise.