09/21/2026
There's some good news in the latest crime stats.
According recently released FBI data, violent crime in the USA fell 9.3% in 2025 — the largest single-year decline since national estimates began in 1936.
And the drops were across the board:
Murder: down 18.1%
Robbery: down 18.5%
R**e: down 7.6%
Aggravated assault: down 7.2%
That's significant.
So why don’t most Americans (and even my friends and family abroad) feel safer?
Firstly, we're coming down from an extraordinary spike.
Homicides surged to record levels during the pandemic. So some of today's decline represents a return toward more normal levels — not necessarily a lower baseline.
Secondly, not every crime gets reported to police.
The FBI numbers are important, but they don’t paint a complete picture.
Only about 42% of violent crime is reported to law enforcement, according to the Pew Research Center.
That means tens of thousands of victims are never accounted for every year.
Thirdly, there’s a law enforcement lesson here.
The disruption to traditional policing during the pandemic — including staffing challenges and the “defund the police” movement — has slowly given way to a return to conventional policing and community programs.
That may be part of the reason crime has fallen.
Of course, crime is complicated and influenced by many factors.
So, here are our top 3 takeaways:
1. Don’t outsource your safety.
Effective policing matters. But even the best law enforcement response happens after an attack has already begun.
Your ability to spot, avoid, and respond to danger is still your personal responsibility.
2. Prepare for the exception, not the average.
You don't have to live in fear. But you do need to understand that statistics describe populations, not what happens to an individual who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Remember: Safety is an illusion. Train accordingly.
3. Build capability before you need it.
Don’t be that person who says, “I don't need to train because when I see red, bodies hit in the floor.” When something goes wrong, you don't suddenly acquire skills you never developed.
Train when life is relatively calm so you have effective options when it turns chaotic.
