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For the month of May, at criminaljusticeaccess.com, I’ve posted 2019 UCR crime data (2020 data is not available). For 2019, the FBI summary concludes “For the third consecutive year, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation decreased when compared with the previous year’s statistics. In 2019, violent crime was down 0.5 percent from the 2018 number. Property crimes also dropped 4.1 percent, marking the seventeenth consecutive year the collective estimates for these offenses declined. The 2019 statistics show the estimated rate of violent crime was 366.7 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the estimated rate of property crime was 2,109.9 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The violent crime rate fell 1.0 percent when compared with the 2018 rate; the property crime rate declined 4.5 percent.”

While overall numbers and rates have declined, within the individual index crimes, data on murder shows that while they have been declining since a peak in 2016, they showed a slight increase from 2018 to 2019, comparing CIUS 2018 to 2019. However, there is a discrepancy as the 2019 CIUS states there has been a slight decrease from 2018 and references a higher number of offenses occurring in 2018 than was stated in the 2018 version. Rape offenses have been on a steady rise since 2014, though the slight increase from 2018 to 2019 is flattening the slope of the trend. Robbery offense numbers had been relatively steady from 2014 to 2016 but started to drop in 2017. That trend continues with a slight decrease in robberies from 2018 to 2019. Aggravated assault offenses having been relatively steady from 2016 to 2018 following a rise in previous years, experienced another rise between 2018 and 2019.

Burglary offenses continue their sharp decline but the decline between 2018 and 2019 was not as large as the previous two years. Larceny and theft offenses have also been on a steady decline and 2019 was no exception. Motor vehicle thefts, having been on the rise since 2014, plateaued in 2017 and declined both in 2018 and 2019. Arson as well has seen a slight decline in both 2018 and 2019.

Check out 2019 US Crime Data for more details.

Author: Frank Heley

Frank Heley graduated from North Dakota State University with a BS in Criminal Justice in 2009, a MS in Criminal Justice Administration in 2012, and a PhD in Criminal Justice, with a focus on policing, in 2018, and is a current member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He has worked as a security supervisor in the hospitality field, as a drug and alcohol researcher, and as a criminal justice instructor, as well as having been a private investigator for 21 years. Under the auspice of the Center for Criminological Inquiry, he currently conducts independent research and provides consulting services.