Table
The Federal Bureau
of Investigation today released figures collected by the Uniform Crime
Reporting Program indicating that the Nation's Crime Index fell 0.3
percent during the first 6 months of 2001 when compared to January-June
2000 data.
The Crime Index
is comprised of violent and property crimes. Overall, violent crimes,
which include murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery,
and aggravated assault, declined 1.3 percent for January through June
2001 when compared to the data reported for the corresponding months
in 2000. Property crimes, which include burglary, larceny-theft, and
motor vehicle theft, fell 0.2 percent when compared to the data reported
for January through June 2000. Arson offenses, which are part of a Modified
Crime Index, increased 2.9 percent for the first 6 months of 2001 when
compared to the figures reported for the same time period in 2000.
Comparing data
reported in the first six months of 2001 to those reported for the same
period in 2000, the offenses of murder and robbery both showed increases-0.8
percent for robbery and 0.3 percent for murder. However, the volume
of forcible rapes and aggravated assaults reported to law enforcement
declined by 1.7 and 2.4 percent, respectively. The volume of property
crimes varied with burglary declining 1.2 percent, larceny-theft decreasing
0.4 percent, and motor vehicle theft increasing 2.6 percent.
By city population
groupings, cities with populations of 50,000 to 99,999 inhabitants recorded
the biggest decline in the volume of Index crimes at 1.7 percent. The
largest increase in Index offenses occurred in cities of 250,000 to
499,999 population with a rise of 1.9 percent. Rural and suburban counties
registered 1.9-percent and 0.6-percent decreases, respectively.
By region, Index
crime fell 4.1 percent in the Northeast and 1.9 percent in the Midwest.
The West recorded an increase of 1.6 percent and the South, an increase
of 0.8 percent.
This report is
based upon the reports of agencies that submitted 3-6 compatible months
of data from January through June in both 2000 and 2001.
The complete preliminary
semiannual Uniform Crime Report is available on the FBI's Internet site
at http://www.fbi.gov.