The FBI is on pace to arrest twice as many violent offenders as last year under former President Joe Biden, according to Director Kash Patel.
In a Friday post on X, Patel said "President [Donald] Trump's FBI" is on track for more than 28,000 violent offender arrests, and highlighted what he called record results in 17 major cities as the bureau intensifies its focus on crushing violent crime and defending the homeland.
Deputy Director Dan Bongino echoed that message, arguing that the surge is the product of targeted, data-driven enforcement, and a clear shift away from what conservatives have long criticized as politicized, Washington-centered priorities.
"An extremely small percentage of the population commits the majority of violent crimes," Bongino wrote Friday morning on X. "Most of these perpetrators have been arrested multiple times."
Bongino said he and Patel "strategically moved around FBI assets" to parts of the country where violent crime was concentrated and paired the repositioning with "broken windows" policing and "target prioritization analysis."
"The results were dramatic," Bongino said, crediting FBI field offices and local law enforcement partners with "record-breaking arrest numbers and historic drops in violent crime."
He added that the outcomes "defy armchair 'analysis'" and thanked Trump for restoring a law-and-order approach.
"Results matter," Bongino wrote.
Internal FBI documents show violent-crime arrests surged in 17 key cities under Trump compared with the same period during the Biden administration, Fox News reported.
According to the documents, arrests in those field offices nearly doubled in Trump’s first year, rising to almost 14,000 from Jan. 20 through Dec. 22 compared with roughly 6,000 to 7,000 annually over the previous four years.
"This is a direct result of the FBI prioritizing taking down violent crime and reorienting the Bureau… and give field personnel more tools they need to be successful in states and localities across the country," Patel said.
The statistics reportedly include arrests tied to gang activity, transnational organized crime, and child human trafficking.
Buffalo led the nation with a 400% increase, rising from 125 to 642 arrests, according to Fox News.
Jackson more than tripled, increasing 264.5% from 248 to 904. New York logged the highest volume, climbing 175.2% from 621 to 1,709. Nashville surged 160% to 871, while Detroit rose 150.8% from 305 to 765.
Other cities including New Orleans, Miami, Houston and Dallas also saw increases, according to the report. Seattle was the only office that posted a decline, falling 7.5% from 320 arrests.
Total arrests excluding crimes against children more than doubled, jumping from 5,778 to 12,901 — part of the broader 28,000-plus total referenced by Patel.
For conservatives, the emerging takeaway is straightforward: When the FBI prioritizes violent criminals instead of politics, and when law enforcement is empowered to act aggressively in high-crime areas, communities become safer.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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