Secretary of War Pete Hegseth credited National Guard members serving as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force for the “staggering” crime drop in Washington during an event honoring the National Guard on Thursday.
Hegseth commended the National Guard members for doing the “difficult, tough job that no one else is willing to do” and for helping law enforcement officials reduce crime in Washington over the past year. He noted that the crime rate in Washington has “dropped in staggering amounts” since the start of the mission.
Crime statistics provided by the Metropolitan Police Department from Jan. 1 to July 2 show that homicides have dropped by 45 percent and motor vehicle thefts have dropped by 54 percent. Additionally, robberies have dropped by 20 percent and property crimes have dropped by 24 percent compared with the same period from last year….