Good News/Not So Good News on Crime Stats
Justice Department figures show, says AP report:
the overall violent crime rate was unchanged in 2005 from the year before, at just over 21 crimes for every 1,000 individuals over age 12.
The property crime rate fell in 2005 from 161 crimes to 154 for every 1,000 people because of a drop in household thefts. Both rates were the lowest since the survey began in 1973.
Within those overall figures, though, are some not so inspiring numbers, trendwise:
[In 2005] There were two violent gun crimes for every 1,000 individuals, compared with 1.4 in 2004, according to the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. There were 2.6 robberies for every 1,000 persons, compared with 2.1 the year before.
"This report tells us more the serious events—robbery and gun crimes—increased and the FBI already told us homicides increased," said criminal justice professor James Alan Fox of Northeastern University.
……..
A preliminary FBI report in June on crimes reported to police showed a 4.8 percent increase in the number of murders and 4.5 percent increase in the number of robberies in 2005.
Still, the bloody reign of the out-of-control criminal "superpredator" many criminologists warned of in the go-go 1990s has so far failed to dawn.