President Trump’s Plan to Deploy National Guard to Combat Crime in Major Cities Sparks Debate
President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to several major cities, including Chicago, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, in an effort to combat what he claims is rampant crime. However, data suggests that violent crime in these cities and across the country has actually decreased in recent years. According to the Real-Time Crime Index, which tracks crimes across the country using law enforcement data, homicides through the first six months of 2025 were down significantly compared to the same period in 2024.
Experts, such as John Roman, a data expert who directs the Center on Public Safety & Justice at the University of Chicago, argue that there is no city in the US that is experiencing a true crisis. “We’re at a remarkable moment in crime in the United States,” Roman said. Despite this, Trump has maligned the six Democratic-run cities, all of which are located in states that opposed him in 2024, and has taken federal control of police in Washington, D.C.
Public Perception and Crime Trends
A recent survey by The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 81% of Americans see crime as a “major problem” in large cities, although there is less support for federal control of police. However, data from AH Datalytics shows that aggravated assaults, including nonfatal shootings, were down in Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Baltimore, and San Francisco, and were virtually unchanged in New York. Reports of rape were up in New York and Chicago during the first half of the year but were down in the other cities, including a 51% drop in San Francisco.
National Guard troops patrol the grounds of the Washington Monument with the Capitol seen in the distance as part of President Donald Trump’s order to impose federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital, in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Cities Defend Their Safety Strategies
Trump has exaggerated and misstated facts about crime in Washington, D.C., and has threatened to send in the National Guard to other cities. However, experts argue that deploying the National Guard for municipal policing purposes is not sustainable, scalable, constitutional, or respectful. Michael Scott, director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing at Arizona State University and a former police chief in Florida, said that cities like Baltimore have found ways to reduce violence by offering mentorship, social services, and job opportunities to young people likely to commit crimes.
Members of the West Virginia National Guard near the Washington Monument in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Tales of Different Cities
Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard to combat crime in major cities has sparked debate, with some arguing that it is an overreach of federal power and others claiming that it is necessary to address the perceived crime crisis. However, experts question the effectiveness of the National Guard in reducing crime and argue that it may actually generate undue fear and apprehension among residents. For more information, read the full article Here
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