From Washington to NYC: Are US cities so crime-prone that they need armed troops?

Are big American cities crime-riddled hellholes?

That’s apparently what the Donald Trump administration wants the world to believe.

The Pentagon chief has now said that the US troops patrolling Washington, DC will be armed. This is a stark departure from last week when the Pentagon insisted that the troops would not be carrying weapons.

Trump earlier this month sent over 2,000 federal forces into Washington, DC to tamp down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. The US president declared “a crime emergency” in the capital.

But what happened? Is that is that really the case? What are the crime statistics like in these cities?

What happened?

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the National Guard personnel patrolling DC will now be armed. Hegseth, taking the social media, said it was a “common sense” move. This does not apply to those on transport, admin, or support duties.

Washington, DC has witnessed over 800 of the city’s guard being deployed alongside 1,200 personnel from Republican states such as Tennessee, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia and Ohio.

The National Guard has said that the troops would be armed with M17 pistols, “which are intended for person protection.” The agency said personnel would get proper training on how to use the weapons before they were allowed to arm themselves.

“At the direction of the secretary of defence, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent with their mission and training”, a US defence official said.

“This decision is not something taken lightly,” said Army Brigadier General Leland D. Blanchard, III, the Commanding General of the DC National Guard, in a statement.

“We are in coordination with our law enforcement partners and all appropriate review processes in place,” Blanchard added.

This is a sea change from last week when the Pentagon and the US Army said that troops would not be carrying weapons. Officials at the time said the National Guard would work more in a capacity to support local law enforcement.

Trump has threatened to take his crackdown from DC all the way to New York and Chicago – areas he has derided as ‘crime-infested hellholes’, which are incidentally run by Democrats. Trump in fact has vowed to use the ‘regular military’, which would be a further escalation from using the National Guard.

What are the crime rates in US cities?

Washington, DC

Let’s start with the US’ capital Washington, DC.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has said that crime is at a"30-year violent crime low" and that any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false.”

The facts bear out her claims. Data show crime rates have dramatically decreased in 2023 and 2024 in Washington, DC. Crime in 2024 was down 35 per cent from 2023 – hitting the lowest point in decades. Meanwhile, gun violence similarly declined by 26 per cent while homicides have decreased by 11 per cent.

The Council on Criminal Justice has said that “there is an unmistakable and large drop in reported violence in the District since the summer of 2023 … consistent with what’s being reported in other large cities across the country.” However, DC’s murder rate of approximately 27.3 per 100,000 residents remained worryingly high – worse than Bogota in Colombia and Mexico City. But, in fact, there are dozens of other cities around the world that have higher crime rates than Washington DC.

The trend of crime being down has continued into 2025. Data from the Washington Metropolitan Police (MPD) shows that homicides are down 12 per cent from 2024, sexual assaults 49 per cent, assaults with a dangerous weapon by 19 per cent. Robberies are down 30 per cent, violent crime on a whole is down 27 per cent, while all crime is down 8 per cent.

In Chicago

Trump has often taken aim at Chicago, the long-time home of his predecessor Barack Obama. In fact, Trump is just the latest in a long line of Republican politicians who have tried to paint Chicago as a city perennially infested with criminals. He has accused Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of being “grossly incompetent” and said “Chicago was our greatest city, actually”.

But police data shows crime in Chicago is also down from 2023 to 2024 Homicides registered a 7.6% fall year-on-year, while shootings witnessed a similar 7 per cent decrease. The year 2024 also saw the lowest level of murders and shootings in around a decade.

The year 2025 thus far has seen far greater declines than the same period in 2024.

Homicides have declined by 31 per cent, shootings by 39 per cent, carjackings by 51 per cent, robberies by 32 per cent, aggravated assaults by 18 per cent and aggravated batteries by nine per cent.

Chicago’s 2025 homicide level is 25 per cent lower than 2019.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a longtime Trump critic , accused the president of trying to “manufacture a crisis” in Chicago.

“The State of Illinois at this time has received no requests or outreach from the federal government asking if we need assistance, and we have made no requests for federal intervention,” the governor said in a statement on Saturday.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his office has not received formal communication from the Trump administration about military or federal law enforcement deployments in Chicago but said “we have grave concerns about the impact of any unlawful deployment of National Guard troops.”

Johnson called Trump’s approach “uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,” arguing it “has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement.”

New York

New York too in 2024 has witnessed a drop in crime from 2023.

Murders in 2024 were down 11 per cent from 2023, while robberies were down 2.3 per cent, burglary 5.7 per cent. Major crime was down three per cent in 2024.

The year 2025 has also seen New York witness fewest major crimes on record in modern times.

Mayor Eric Adams has said the city in 2025 has seen its lowest number of murders and shootings in modern history,

There were just 264 shootings and 112 murders across five months.

Murders in July were down 49 per cent from July 2024, robberies down 7.5 per cent, felony assault down 8.2 per cent, and burglaries down 14.2 per cent,

New York witnessed a 5.7 per cent drop in major felonies.

However, rape has registered a 20 per cent increase – though it must be noted this follows the legislature expanding the definition of the term.

“You’re gonna now militarize our streets like that? … If he crosses that bright line … people will be outraged,” Hochul said. Mayor Eric Adams told Trump “we got this”.

However New York Republican Representative Mike Lawler has backed Trump’s move.

What do experts say?

Experts are unimpressed and critical of Trump’s decision. As they have noted, the regular military has just one job – conquering territory. They also shoot to kill rather than restrain.

Retired Major General Randy Manner, who served as vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, told Military Times previously that the situation in the capital is unlike any “emergency criteria that has ever been used”.

Mannes estimated that deploying as many as 2,000 troops to a major US city could cost the federal government as much as $20 million per month. He also said it could hurt the troop readiness.

Experts also say that the National Guard are not equipped to handle regular law enforcement.

The National Guard Historically are only called in in extreme situations – for example handling a presidential inauguration or responding to events like the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.

What is the National Guard doing in DC?

Meanwhile, the National Guard have been seen in touristy locations such as the National Mall, Union Station, which is a transit hub near Capitol Hill and several Metro stations throughout DC. Some troops have fed squirrels. One Guard member helped a woman carry her belongings down the stairs in a train station.

Others have been seen taking photos with passers-by, standing around chatting and drinking coffee. There have been no overt indications that they have faced threats that would require weapons.

DC Councilmember Charles Allen has derided Trump’s actions as that “not of a president, but of someone on the march to an authoritarian takeover”.

However, Trump has claimed otherwise.

‘DC was a hellhole’

“I really am honoured that the National Guard has done such an incredible job working with the police,” Trump recently said. “And we haven’t had to bring in the regular military, which we’re willing to do if we have to.

“And after we do this, we’ll go to another location and we’ll make it safe also.”

He has boasted that the city is safer than ever because of his intervention. He told reporters Friday that “it’s a miracle what’s happened.” “DC was a hellhole,” he said. “But now it’s safe.”

He suggested that he could prolong the deployment of troops and federal agents in Washington. “The big question is how long do we stay?” he said. “Because if we stay, we want to make sure it doesn’t come back. So we have to take care of these criminals and get them out.”

Trump said he would ask Congress for $2 billion to improve the appearance of the city, including resurfacing roads and replacing streetlights. He’s previously pledged to improve the grass to look like one of his golf courses.

“It’s going to be safe, and it’s going to be beautified,” he added.

With input from agencies