Are Americans safer? It depends on where you live.
A report issued Monday by the FBI says the number of murders rose by more than 10 percent in 2015 from the previous year, while violent crime overall was up nearly 4 percent. Experts say the increase is driven by a spike in violent crime in at least several large cities, but they caution that the country is in the midst of such low crime rates that even the tiniest increase appears larger than it is.
“There are problems with violence in certain American cities and we need to work to address that, but there’s no evidence of a national crime wave,” said Inimai Chettiar of the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute at New York University School of Law.
The FBI report is based on information supplied by local law enforcement agencies through the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which compiles data on murders, aggravated assault, car thefts and other crime.
The statistics show an estimated 15,696 murders and non-negligent manslaughters in the country in 2015, a 10.8 percent increase from the year before. Those totals do not include killings that agencies have deemed justifiable.
Violent crime overall rose by 3.9 percent, though the total was still lower than levels from five and 10 years ago, in 2011 and 2006, the FBI said.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch, speaking Monday at an event in Little Rock, Arkansas, said the new data show that “we still have so much work to do.” But she also noted that crime in many communities has remained stable or decreased.
“And it is important to remember that while crime did increase overall last year, 2015 still represented the third-lowest year for violent crime in the past two decades,” she added.
The FBI’s crime totals have attracted scrutiny in recent years because of the inconsistent reporting by law enforcement agencies on use of force by police officers.
In a message accompanying this year’s report, FBI Director James Comey called for more transparency and accountability in law enforcement and said the FBI is working toward developing a database chronicling incidents of police use of force.
“Information that is accurate, reliable, complete and timely will help all of us learn where we have problems and how to get better,” he said.
The Brennan Center for Justice released a study a week ago that, based on information from 30 cities, indicates the crime rate is holding steady so far this year over 2015 levels. It said a handful of cities, however, appear to be accounting for a disproportionate amount of the violent crime. The number of murders reported by law enforcement agencies in four cities alone — Baltimore, Chicago, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C. — is showing a 20 percent increase, the study said.
“It’s being driven by pockets and it’s not a nationwide problem per se,” said Chettiar.
Darrel Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which gathers material from more than 60 large cities in the United States and Canada, said the latest FBI statistics mirror what his group has been seeing.
“The increase is not off the charts by any stretch of the imagination,” Stephens said. While it would be wrong to say the U.S. is experiencing a crime wave, it also would be wrong to say there isn’t a problem, he said.
“I think this should cause people to be a little concerned — not panicky or anything — but a little concerned about what’s going on,” Stephens said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Gee, if you listened to Hillary last night you would think that we don’t have a crime problem… It’s all good now.
Obama and Lynch have solved the crime problem, right? It has to be the Amish again!
Good speech is not always the right tool to choose a president. Most of good speakers, are the worst president. President Bush and president Obama, are good speakers, and both are the worst president at American History. They just like false prophets. It’s written in Psalm 56:22 “Soften than butter in his speech, but war is in his heart”. It’s amazing how Hillary was able to distract many Americans, deceives them , hypnotizes them not to discuss, or debate anything about Benghazi ,and her email scandal. In my opinion, people should focus on the history records , and achievement of each candidates, not on a debate. Tell me what Hillary does during her 30 years! Empowering Moslems countries, establishing Clinton foundation ,fraud&corruption,high crimes, real estate collapse, poverty, homelessness, a flood of refuge and illegal immigrants, injustice, you name it. We developed more socio and economic problem in American history, during Hillary&Obama.
If Hillary has done nothing in her 30 years of service, she is not going to do anything different in the next four years, other than expanding socialism to punish the rich. She has problem with the rich! without the rich United States would be like any third world country. United States is sinking because of leaders with poor mentality like Hillary, she an Obama extension cord, and we need to cut that cord. How many millions Hillary has spent on stupid ads, while she spent nothing to help the poor, or middle class. On the other hand, look at Trump businesses, how many Americans ,men and women, are employed by Trump companies! However,Having a problem with an individual from certain race, doesn’t make you a racist. According to the author of Armageddon, Hillary mistreated Monica Lewinsky, and many other, no one is perfect. And if she was calm, that was because of her medication. All Candidates should be checked for steroid before any debate. I’ll vote for the neutral ,the natural,the business mind, Donald Trump
IF Hillary Clinton is given the office of president, she will actually do plenty! It’s just that what she does will have NO benefit for the citizens of these United States of America.