The National Guard’s monthlong presence in Washington, D.C. has reportedly brought crime to historic lows while also sending tourism into a sharp decline.
President Donald Trump announced in early August that National Guard troops would be sent to the nation’s capital in an attempt to help reduce crime, claiming that there is “out-of-control violent crime” that must be handled, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Although many were skeptical about the deployment, this decision has already paid off in helping to reduce crime.
John Lott, founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, recently discovered that there was a 13-day streak without a single homicide in the city from August 13 to August 26, according to Fox News.
Further evaluation of these statistics found that there was just a 0.37% probability of this 13-day streak occurring on its own, indicating that the National Guard troops have already made a significant difference in the area.
This presence has also resulted in approximately 1,914 total arrests in the district since deployment in August, with those arrests encompassing a variety of crimes, according to Fox News.
Trump recently discussed the noticeable change at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., claiming that crime is already much lower than what was anticipated and reported.
“Can you imagine our capital being the most violent city? But it was — it was really bad, into a totally safe zone. It’s called a safe zone city. There’s no crime. They said, ‘Crime’s down 87 percent,’ I said, ‘No, no, no, it’s more than 87 percent, virtually nothing,’” Trump said, per The Hill.
Despite the drop in crime, there have also been adverse effects that the city will have to work through moving forward.
Tourism numbers have reportedly dropped following the deployment of the National Guard in the city, with many local businesses and non-profits currently dealing with a lack of visitors.
One example is Planet Word, an immersive language museum located near the White House.
Planet Word spokeswoman Charlotte Clay told CNN that the museum experienced a 22% decrease in visitors in August compared to the same timeframe last year, noting that this decline is “steeper than the typical back-to-school slowdown” and is likely related to the lack of tourism.
Additionally, OpenTable provided CNN with statistics that show online reservations for restaurants experienced a 2% decline in August when compared to July and a 5% decline when compared to June.
While these numbers could hurt many of the businesses in the city, Trump has maintained that the safety of residents should be the most important factor, even hinting that the National Guard could be sent to other cities dealing with high crime rates, as reported by DX.