Big Cities See Violent Crime Dip

Jan 7, 2008 — -- The recent crime surge in many major cities appears to have declined during the first six months of last year, according to the FBI's preliminary crime statistics for the first half of 2007.

Overall violent crime numbers for the nation show a 1.8 percent drop in violent crime and a 2.6 percent drop in property crime during the first six months of 2007, compared to the same time frame of the previous year.

According to the FBI figures, murder is down by 1.1 percent, rapes fell 6.1 percent, robbery was down 1.2 percent and aggravated assaults were down 1.7 percent.

The decrease in violent crime, particularly murder, was likely fueled by a significant slide in major cities. Cities with more than 1 million residents showed a 6.5 percent drop in murders.

New York City, for example, reported 494 homicides in the city in 2007, a drop from 596 killings a year before. Houston reported 376 murders in 2006 and 351 homicides for 2007.

Cities with declines in murders also include Minneapolis, Sacramento, Boston, Los Angeles, Charleston, S.C. and Milwaukee. The FBI numbers are based on data from 18,000 communities and reflect the overall national picture.

The 2006 statistics for the same time frame showed that violent crime in the United States had increased 3.7 percent, with a significant 9.7 percent jump in robberies, a 1.4 percent increase in the murder rate, and a 1.2 percent increase in aggravated assaults.

FBI figures for 2005 showed that violent crime had increased 2.5 percent overall, one of the largest percentage increases in 15 years.

Criminologists and law enforcement officials believe the increases in crime in recent years had been triggered by a rise in gang activity, violent offenders returning from prison and children who have easy access to guns.

Although the national figures show a decline, not all cities followed that trend. Murder was up in Cleveland, Washington D.C. and Baltimore. In the nation's capital there were 181 murders in 2007 compared to 169 in 2006; Cleveland saw a jump from up from 119 during 2006 to 134 in 2007.

"The report suggests that violent crime remains near historic low levels. Some communities, however, continue to face violent crime challenges," said Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr. "While these challenges vary widely throughout the country, the Department is committed to assisting our state and local partners in combating violent crime wherever it exists."

One tactic some police have used is to saturate high crime areas with more patrols. But this costs money — and many departments decry the reduction in federal funds, as the money that was designated for community policing now goes toward homeland security.

Some officials worry that without federal grants and assistance for overtime and more officers they may not be able to continue their efforts. Looking ahead, some experts and law enforcement officials say that economic uncertainty and increases in unemployment could be significant factors for crime in 2008.

The report the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report can be viewed on the FBI's Web page at www.fbi.gov.