By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com
Violent crime in the United States -- including murder, aggravated assault, and rape -- continues to decline, according to statistics released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Burglary, arson, motor-vehicle theft, and other property crimes also dropped in 2009 marking the 7th year in a row those offenses have declined from previous years.
These and other crime-related trend are highlighted in the FBIs Crime in the United States 2009 report, which gives consumers an overall snapshot of offenses and arrests nationwide and also breaks down those figures by states and local agencies.
Some of the statistics included in the 2009 crime report reveal:
• The overall violent crime rate declined 5.3 percent from 2008 the third consecutive year these types of offenses have dropped. The numbers fell in four key categories: murder (and and non-negligent manslaughter) was down 7.3 percent, robbery dropped 8 percent, aggravated assault declined 4.2 percent, and forcible rapes were down 2.6 percent;
• There were 1,318,398 violent crimes reported to law enforcement agencies nationwide in 2009;
• Aggravated assaults accounted for the highest number of violent crimes reported last year -- 61.2 percent. Robbery came in next at 31 percent; forcible rape accounted for 6.7 percent; and murder represented the lowest number of violent crimes reported at 1.2 percent;
• The violent crime rate for 2009 was 426.4 offenses per 100,000 people a 6.1 percent decline from 2008;
• The overall property crime rate declined by 4.6 percent from 2008. Specifically, the number of motor vehicle thefts dropped 17.1 percent, larceny-thefts declined 4.0 percent, and burglaries were down 1.3 percent;
• The property crime rate was 3,036.1 per 100,000 persons in 2009 -- a 5.5 percent decrease from 2008.
• Property crime victims collectively lost an estimated $15.2 billion in 2009, the FBI said. That figures does not include loss caused by arson.
Where are most of the crimes in the country occurring?
According to the FBIs statistics, the South accounted for the highest number of violent crimes in 2009 with 42.5 percent. The West represented 22.9 percent; the Midwest accounted for 19.6 percent, and the Northeast represented 15 percent of the countrys violent crimes.
What about property crimes?
The South again accounted for the highest number of crimes in these categories 43.9 percent. The West reported 22.7 percent, the Midwest had 20.8 percent and the Northeast had 12.6 percent of the countrys property crimes.
Other trends and highlights included in the 2009 crime report reveal:
• Law enforcement agencies nationwide made approximately 13.7 million arrests last year. That figure does not include people arrested on traffic violations;
• An estimated 581,765 people were arrested in 2009 for violent crimes;
• The 2009 arrest rate for violent crimes was 191.2 per 100,000 inhabitants.
• The 2009 arrest rate for murder and non-negligent manslaughter was 4.1 percent; 7 percent for forcible rape, and 42 percent for robbery. The arrest rate for aggravated assault was 138.2 per 100,000 people;
• The 2009 arrest rate for property crime was 571.1 per 100,000 inhabitants;
• The arrest rate in 2009 for burglary was 98.1 percent and 442.3 percent for larceny-theft. The arrest rate for motor vehicle theft was 26.8 per 100,000 inhabitants and 4.0 per 100,000 people for arson;
• Nearly 75 percent of the people arrested in 2009 were male;
• The majority of murder victims -- slightly more than 77 percent -- were male;
• Firearms were used in 67.1 percent of the countrys murders; 42.6 percent of the robberies; and 20.9 percent of aggravated assaults. The FBI said information about weapons used in forcible rapes is not collected.
The statistics used in the report came from the 17,985 law enforcement agencies including cities, universities and colleges, and federal agencies -- that participated in the Uniform Crime Reporting program in 2009.These agencies represent 96.3 percent of the countrys population, the FBI said.
The crime report also includes information about other offenses, criminals, victims, and the types of weapons used in various crimes. Consumers can even find information about crimes occurring in their metropolitan areas on the reports State Totals table.
The FBI, however, cautioned consumers about using the report to make crime comparisons between cities. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction, the agency said.
The FBI will release two additional crime-related reports later this fall: the 2009 Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted and Hate Crime Statistics reports. Those reports will also be posted on the www.fbi.gov agencys Website.
