AP: "Despite recession, crime keeps falling"

December 23, 2009 |
Valor

Delvin Barrett reported earlier this week that “experts are scratching their heads over why crime has ebbed so far during this recession, making it different from other economic downturns of the past half-century.”
Crimes reported to the “Uniform Crime Program are down collectively: violent crime overall decreased 4.4 percent, property crime is down 6.1 percent, and arson fell 8.2 percent.”
Declining Crime Rates 2009
Individual crimes are also decreasing across the board:

  • Murder (down 10.0 percent);
  • Forcible rape (down 3.3 percent);
  • Robbery (down 6.5 percent);
  • Aggravated assault (down 3.2 percent);
  • Burglary (down 2.5 percent);
  • Larceny-theft (down 5.3 percent); and
  • Motor vehicle theft (down 18.7 percent).

For a more in-depth analysis, download the FBI’s crime report.