Who Gets the Credit for DC's Violent Crime Drop: Trump or DC Police?

President Donald Trump federalized the Washington, D.C. police department on August 11, aiming to crack down on crime. Has it worked?

The Details: On Monday morning, Trump said, “In the last 11 days we’ve had no murders and that’s the first time that’s taken place in years actually, years.” A man was shot dead shortly after midnight on Tuesday, ending the homicide-free streak.

Fox News: Fox News (Right bias) said that Trump's crackdown benefited black Americans, who are the most common victims of homicide in the area. It cited the Crime Prevention Research Center, which concluded, based on the last seven months of crime statistics, the probability of a homicide-free streak without Trump's crackdown was 0.37%. The research noted that looking at February and March artificially lowers the data because homicides tend to peak in the summer months, making this streak more significant.

Washington Post: The Post (Lean Left) took a different angle from Fox News, noting that Trump's claim about the homicide-free streak being the longest in years is incorrect. "D.C. went 16 days without a homicide earlier this year, from Feb. 24 to March 13. But even 10 days without a killing is rare in the city, occurring once this year before Trump’s takeover of D.C. police and once in January of last year. The 16-day streak earlier this year was the longest in at least six years." The Post added that "Crime data shows that before Trump ordered a surge in federal law enforcement, the District had already reached a 30-year-low in violent crime," showing skepticism toward crediting Trump for the downturn in crime. 

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