The Ministry of Justice (DOJ) this week released the final national crime statistics under the Biden administration as the president prepares to leave office.
After an increase in violent crime in 2021 during the pandemic, it began to decline significantly in 2023, “including double-digit declines in homicide rates in many major cities,” according to the DOJ.
In 2024 violent crime continued to fall, according to preliminary DOJ data from 85 major cities.
This includes a 17.5% reduction in the homicide rate. There was also a 7.1% drop in rape, 3.6% in aggravated assault and 7.8% in robbery in the first three quarters of this year.
Between 2021 and 2022, violent crime decreased by 1.7%, which became a 3% decrease between 2022 and 2023, and through the second quarter of 2023 to 2024, it decreased by 10.3%.
In the same time frames, the homicide rate decreased by 6.1% starting from 2021 to 2022, by 11.6% in 2023 and finally by 22.7% in 2024.
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The Justice Department this week released the final crime statistics for the country under the Biden administration as the president prepares to leave office. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“Since launching the Violent Crime Reduction Strategy 2021, the Department has made historic progress in combating the most significant drivers of violent crime,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.
She added: “This report details the Department’s many successes in implementing its violent crime strategy and serves as a testament to the work of law enforcement officers across the country who do so much to keep our communities safe.”
Shortly after taking office in 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that Monaco will implement a A comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime.
“Recognizing that every jurisdiction—large, small, rural, urban—faces unique challenges that cannot be solved by a one-size-fits-all policy—the strategy was data-driven and deployed federal resources, including state-of-the-art tools, in the most effective way: acting as a force multiplier for state and local police on the front lines of fighting violent crime,” the report said.
Shortly after taking office in 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco will implement the Comprehensive Strategy to Reduce Violent Crime. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Of the 85 cities included in the statistics, violent crime rose in 23 and fell in 62, and the homicide rate rose in 19 and fell in 64, the report said.
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The report says that while “there is no single cause” for the drop or rise in violent crime, “the work of law enforcement across the country — a partnership between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies — has undoubtedly played a leading role.”
The DOJ said its strategy is to “focus on the most significant drivers of violent crime — including gun violence and repeat offenders.”
He also prioritized building trust in communities and investing in prevention and community intervention programs.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies before the House Judiciary Committee at the Rayburn House on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on June 4, 2024. (Sha Hanting/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
“Since the beginning of this administration, this Department has been laser-focused on targeting the most significant drivers of violent crime — with gun violence at the top of that list,” Monaco said. “Our strategy is data-driven and focused on what we do best: acting as a force multiplier with our state and local law enforcement partners — who are on the front lines of the fight against violent crime — and applying technology and other cutting-edge tools to seek out the individuals most responsible for crime in our communities.”
She added, “We are seeing the results of our efforts. After peaking during the pandemic, violent crime is on a downward trajectory — including double-digit declines in homicide rates in many major cities.”
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This is President Biden’s last week in office. President-elect Trump will take office on Monday.
