An expert in law enforcement has raised concerns about the assertions made by the previous Department of Justice under the Biden administration regarding a significant decrease in violent crime to a level not seen in 50 years. The expert suggests that the agency may have twisted the data to support its conclusions.
During 2024, the Biden administration publicized claims of a historic low in violent crime rates using FBI data. According to the FBI, violent crimes encompass offenses such as murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
Ken Alexandrow, a security specialist with 26 years of experience as a police officer in Nashville, Tennessee, has voiced skepticism about the integrity of the data manipulation conducted by the previous administration in order to assert a specific narrative.
“The way crime statistics are developed is that police departments around the nation send all their category 1 crimes, which are violent crimes, to the FBI. And then the FBI develops nationwide statistics,” Alexandrow said. “But the changes happen when a new administration comes in, and they change the reporting conditions.”
Biden admin previously shifting crime stats
In 2022, the Biden administration’s FBI quietly updated its crime data to show an increase in violent crimes despite previous data showing violent crimes had fallen that year, which was touted as a victory for the administration.
The data was lauded by Democrats and the media as part of a turning point for crime woes in the U.S. after the crime wave of 2020, when defund-the-police protests and riots swept the nation and the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders upended daily life.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ, the New York City Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Chicago Police Department for comment.
Fox News’ David Spunt and Emma Colton contributed to this report.