Even good news generates controversy in these polarizing times.
Violent crime is cratering in the United States, according to national statistics. Last year appears to have produced the sharpest decline ever for homicides.
“This is the fourth year in a row of declines, and each year has gotten a little bigger than the year before. And this is the first time that we’ve seen it in all of the categories; I think seven of the eight categories fell by close to a record amount,” John Roman, director of NORC’s Center on Public Safety and Justice at the University of Chicago, told The Hill. “So this is a unique and historic decline in crime and violence in the U.S.”
FBI numbers for last year have yet to be published, but other sources confirm the shift. Surveys by the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the Council on Criminal Justice indicate the progress has been rapid. The MCCA estimates that the number of U.S. homicides declined by more than 19% in 2025, The Hill reported.
Las Vegas mirrors the national trend. The number of murders last year in the Metropolitan Police Department’s jurisdiction fell 22%, from 115 to 90. “We’re in a great place,” said Metro Lt. Robert Price, who oversees the department’s homicide section. “If you ask me: How did we do it? I’d say it’s an agency-wide effort, but I think it starts with technology.”