FBI report shows increase in violent crimes News
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FBI report shows increase in violent crimes

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its yearly crime statistics report Monday.

The Bureau reported that “for the first time in four years, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation increased when compared with the previous year’s statistics” and cited a 5.6 percent rise in violent crime. In 2019, the rate of violent crime was an estimated 387.8 offenses per 100,000 people compared to a rate of 380.8 offenses per 100,000 people in 2019.

The minor increase in violent crime in 2020 nonetheless contributes to a larger downward trend over the past 30 years. In comparison, the rate of violent crime in 1990 in the United States was an estimated 729.6 offenses per 100,000.

Property crime continued to trend downward. In 1990, the rate of property crime was 5,073.1 per 100,000. In 2020, the Bureau reported 1958.2 property crimes per 100,000 Americans. The victims of property crimes lost 17.5 billion over the course of the year.

There are “18,619 federal, state, county, city, university and college, and tribal agencies” who may submit statistics to the Bureau’s report. 15, 897 of those agencies shared their numbers.

The Bureau also warned readers that:

“…Some entities use the figures to compile rankings of cities and counties [which] lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction.”

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