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NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS
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Violent Crime Down Again

Daily Policy Digest

Crime & Gun Control Issues

Tuesday, December 18, 2001

The number of violent crimes reported during the first six months of this year -- including murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault -- dropped by 1.3 percent compared with the like period in 2000, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

  • Property crimes -- including burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft -- fell 0.2 percent over the same period.
  • When violent and property crimes are lumped together, the overall decline amounted to 0.3 percent -- which suggests that crime rates, which had been declining steadily over the past decade, may be leveling off, criminologists observe.
  • The number of murders rose by 0.3 percent for the six months -- while robberies increased 0.8 percent.
  • These were offset by large decreases in forcible rapes, which declined by 1.7 percent -- and aggravated assaults, which dropped by 2.4 percent.
In the 10 largest U.S. cities with the highest numbers of murders, murder dropped in seven of them. The numbers rose only in Chicago, Houston and Phoenix.

By region, the FBI said violent and property crimes fell 4.1 percent in the Northeast and 1.9 percent in the Midwest. The West reported an increase of 1.6 percent and the South, an increase of 0.8 percent.

Source: Jerry Seper, "FBI Report Reveals Overall Decline in Violent Crime," Washington Times, December 18, 2001.

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