evidence: President Joe Biden credited police officers for the nation’s declining crime rate at a ceremony honoring fallen law enforcement members on May 15. [...] "It’s no accident that violent crime is near a record 50-year low – a 50-year low. It’s because of extraordinary efforts by all of you in your communities, together with historic steps taken to support you – to stop the flow of illegal guns, to hold gun traffickers accountable for crimes. It matters, and it matters a lot," Biden said. According to data released by the FBI in March, violent crime decreased 6% in 2023 from the year before, with murder down 13% and property crime showing a decrease of 4%. It was the second year in a row that the overall crime rate has gone down.