New Statistics that Show Violent Crime is Down in the U.S.

While some politicians in Washington D.C. claim violent crime is spiking in America, many others are presenting data that suggests the opposite is true. While innocent people are still all too often the victims of personal injury, it appears that what had been a surge in crime not long ago, is now waning. That is, according to certain trusted sources including the AP and The Daily Mail.

Despite the statistics on violent crimes, individuals should still be vigilant, especially at night if they are out and about all alone. For instance, when it comes to stabbings, one should always be aware of one’s surroundings. Says the professionals at Stein Law, a Miami stabbing victim lawyer, stabbings can occur in a wide range of locations when the victim least expects it including shopping malls, residential properties, nightclubs and bars, parking lots, schools and colleges, and more. Each location is said to bring with it a different set of legal challenges.

That said, what evidence are some politicians able to point to that proves crime in the U.S. is currently taking a plunge? A recent report by The Register-Herald states that incidents of violent crime dropped during the first quarter of 2024 when compared to the same quarter a year earlier. This is according to an FBI Quarterly Uniform Crime Report, which was released in early July of this year.

The FBI data which is said to be collected from close to 12,000 law enforcement agencies that represent around 77 percent of the country’s overall population, points to a drop in violent crime by upwards of 15 percent over that of the same period one year ago.

Covering “reported crimes” from January 2024 to March 2024, data shows a 26.4 percent decrease in murder, a 25 percent decrease in reported rapes, an 18 percent decrease in robberies, and another 12.5 percent slow down in aggravated assaults. Property crime is also said to have fallen by 15 percent.

Despite these number issued the FBI, the overall public perception is that violent crime is on the rise due to, in part, the influx of non-documented migrants entering the country via the open southern border. Rapes, child sex trafficking, fentanyl running, and murders have been widely reported. However, the Register-Herald believes the perception of rising crime is directly related to GOP candidates who are competing in the upcoming 2024 election in November. State gubernatorial and state legislative candidates on both sides of the aisle will likely be citing their own version of true crime statistics while engaging with potential voters on the stump.

A Gallup poll conducted in late 2023 showed that close to 64 percent of respondents considered the violent crime problem in America as serious and “extreme.” This represented the highest percentage of those who feared violent crime in their communities since Gallup began posing the question 24 years ago.

Back in May of this year, some members of the GOP who have been at odds with FBI pointed out that their new violent crime data was not accurate. In fact, their numbers were seen as fudged or considered “fake” due to what’s said to be an exclusion of 30 percent of the country’s biggest and most violent cities.

But the FBI largely disputes this accusation. Spokespersons for the federal agency refer to the fact that some departments were not able to report proper data in 2021 due to the agency having switched data reporting systems. Therefore, the FBI stands by their new data as accurate and comprehensive.

Says the Register-Herald, current POTUS, Joe Biden, is said to have utilized the brand-new crime statistics for “political gain.” His campaign team recently put out an email stating that former President Trump “oversaw the largest increase in murder in U.S. history.” This accusation proved false. However, the country did see the largest spike in violent crime in U.S. history in 2020. The email makes no mention of the George Floyd riots that resulted in many physical assaults, some of them deadly, or the many fatalities due to the China-born COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged much of the country’s more populated hubs.

However, the FBI’s latest violent crime statistics are said to align with data collected at the beginning of 2024. As of May, the Major Cities Chief’s Association released their data for the first quarter that came from a survey of close to 70 major metropolitan police departments. The data is said to show a 17 percent decline in murders when compared to the first quarter of 2023.

It’s important to note that the FBI’s newest data is preliminary. It is also unaudited. This means that it can change as more law enforcement agencies are able to refine their numbers as the year progresses. It also should be noted that national crime data is seldom reliable and often incomplete, or so states the Register-Herald.