FBI says it has always counted violent crime arrests where it has equity in the case
Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation, statement to MS NOW
In a statement to MS NOW, the FBI disputes that it changed how it tallies arrests and says it has always included violent crime arrests where it has equity in the case and investigation.
Responding to
The FBI's count of violent crime arrests under Kash Patel includes arrests made by state and local police and other federal agencies when an FBI employee was present, which the bureau did not count as its own before.
“violent crime arrests where the FBI has equity in the case and investigation”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
MS NOW says the FBI's arrest count under Kash Patel includes arrests made by local police; the FBI says its counting has not changed
The FBI and Director Kash Patel say the bureau has made about 54,000 violent crime arrests since Patel took office in February 2025, up roughly 90 percent. An MS NOW analysis published on October 14, 2026 reports that the count includes arrests made by state and local police and other federal agencies when an FBI employee was present, and that the FBI referred 15 percent fewer criminal cases for federal prosecution than in the same period of the Biden administration. The FBI says it has always counted violent crime arrests where it has equity in the case and investigation. Former FBI officials quoted by MS NOW say the bureau did not count other agencies' arrests before.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
MS NOW analysis of Justice Department case data shared by Justice Connection, a group of former DOJ and FBI employees. It reports that Patel's count of 54,000 violent crime arrests includes arrests made by state and local police and other federal agencies when an FBI employee was present, and that the FBI referred 15 percent fewer criminal cases for federal prosecution than in the same period of the Biden administration. It carries the FBI's statements in response and comments from former FBI officials and crime researchers.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
MS NOW reports that Patel's count of 54,000 violent crime arrests includes arrests made by state and local police and other federal agencies when an FBI employee was present. It reports that the FBI has not previously counted other agencies' arrests as part of its caseload, according to internal DOJ data and current and former officials.
After the quotation
Multiple former FBI officials tell MS NOW that this is false, and former agent Daniel Brunner says the FBI always resisted counting state and local arrests as FBI achievements.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the FBI's arrest figures under Patel count arrests made by other agencies in a way the bureau did not before. The FBI denies that it changed how it counts arrests, so we used denies.
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More from this case
Read the full caseFormer FBI agent Michael Feinberg says Patel is taking credit for other agencies' efforts
“He's taking credit for other agencies' efforts”Read statement
Former senior FBI official Christopher O'Leary says Patel is dismantling decades of statistical integrity in FBI arrest counts
“Kash Patel is actively dismantling decades of statistical integrity just to feed a political narrative”Read statement
FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson disputes that the bureau counted arrests improperly
“The contentions here seeking to discredit law enforcement are false and just the latest attempt to detract from this FBI's and this administration's year of the most prolific reduction in crime in United States history.”Read statement
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- FBI says it has always counted violent crime arrests where it has equity in the case
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The Dispute Index. "FBI says it has always counted violent crime arrests where it has equity in the case". First published: 2026-10-22. Last updated: 2026-10-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/6504-in-a-statement-to-ms-now-the-fbi