Highlights
Homicides increased by nearly 30 percent in 2020. Overall violence and aggravated assaults also increased.
Preliminary data for 2021 from non-federal sources indicate that violence continues to increase.
There is a big increase in police officers leaving law enforcement.
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The FBI released “final” crime data for 2020 on September 27, 2021, based on crimes reported to law enforcement agencies.
The data shows that the number of homicides increased nearly 30% from 2019, the largest single-year increase the agency has recorded since it began tracking these crimes in the 1960s.
The violent crime rate rose 5.2 percent.
The estimated number of aggravated assault offenses rose 12.1 percent, and the volume of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses increased 29.4 percent.
Property crime continues to decrease.
Readers need to understand that only 41 percent of violent crimes in the US are reported to law enforcement.
Counting Crime in The US Is Complex
I wished there was a simpler explanation regarding crime increases in the United States. Yes, counting crimes is getting very complex.
The FBI’s press release regarding crime increases for all of 2020 is below. Not all categories of violent crime increased.
First, there are two principal data sources for measuring US crime, the FBI based on crimes reported to law enforcement and the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey. Only 41 percent of violent crimes are reported to law enforcement, thus the need for a national survey to collect data on all crime.
The new data format from The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer leaves you very confused. The older Summary Reporting System was much simpler.
Crime Increases For 2020 Are Based On The FBI’s National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) And The Prior Summary Reporting System
The FBI’s National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is new to most consumers of crime statistics. The data in this article for violent crime in 2020 (compared to 2019) is based on the NIBRS and the FBI’s prior Summary Reporting System. There are significant differences between the two data collection methods. Both fall under the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). For a full explanation, see Violent Crime Increases in 2020.
Beginning in 2021, only data from the National Incident Based Reporting System will be used.
As stated, there is also crime data from the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey.
The latest data from BJS is from 2019 (and earlier reports) shows that violent crime has increased by 28 percent since 2015. Serious violent crime also increased.
Police Officers Are Leaving
Per data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the country lost 11,009 police officers from March of 2020 to March of 2021. The growth from 4,000 to 11,000 indicates a rapidly growing trend.
It’s not just a matter of the number of police officers leaving, it may be the lack of proactivity of remaining officers that has an impact on growing violence, Big Increase In Police Officers Leaving
Full Report on Crime Rates and Numbers in The United States
I make an attempt to provide everything you need to know about counting crime in the United States at US Crime Rates.
The FBI Released Preliminary Figures For All Of 2020 Was Released In March-2021
Per FBI preliminary statistics for 2020, there was a 25 percent increase in homicides.
Per FBI preliminary statistics for 2020, overall violent crime increased by 3.3 percent.
Per the FBI preliminary statistics for 2020, aggravated assaults increased by 10.5 percent, Violent Crime Increases in 2020.
Considering the growth in homicides, aggravated assaults, and overall violent crime between the preliminary and the full FBI reports, it indicates a growing problem with violence.
CNN-Final Report From The FBI For 2020
The FBI released its annual Uniform Crime Report for 2020 showing that the number of homicides increased nearly 30% from 2019, the largest single-year increase the agency has recorded since it began tracking these crimes in the 1960s.
The report, which is on par with preliminary numbers that were reported over the summer, also shows a 5% increase in violent crime between 2019 and 2020.
Overall crimes reported by the FBI decreased by about 6% between 2019 and 2020.
There were more than 21,500 murders last year, a total not seen since the mid-1990s.
According to the report, the number of homicides last year began to escalate during the summer months, peaking in June and July and remaining at high levels after that, CNN.
FBI-Final Report for 2020
For the first time in four years, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation increased when compared with the previous year’s statistics, according to FBI figures.
In 2020, violent crime was up 5.6 percent from the 2019 number. Property crimes dropped 7.8 percent, marking the 18th consecutive year the collective estimates for these offenses declined.
The 2020 statistics show the estimated rate of violent crime was 387.8 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the estimated rate of property crime was 1,958.2 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants.
The violent crime rate rose 5.2 percent when compared with the 2019 rate; the property crime rate declined 8.1 percent.
These and additional data are presented in the 2020 edition of the FBI’s annual report Crime in the United States. This report is available as downloadable spreadsheets and topic pages about offenses, arrests, and police employee data reported by law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
Of the 18,619 federal, state, county, city, university and college, and tribal agencies eligible to participate in the UCR Program, 15,897 agencies submitted data in 2020. A high-level summary of the statistics submitted, as well as estimates for those agencies that did not report, follows:
- In 2020, there were an estimated 1,277,696 violent crimes.
- When compared with the estimates from 2019, the estimated number of robbery offenses fell 9.3 percent and the estimated volume of rape (revised definition) offenses decreased 12.0 percent.
- The estimated number of aggravated assault offenses rose 12.1 percent, and the volume of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses increased 29.4 percent.
- Nationwide, there were an estimated 6,452,038 property crimes. The estimated numbers for two of the three property crimes showed declines when compared with the previous year’s estimates.
- Burglaries dropped 7.4 percent, larceny-thefts decreased 10.6 percent, while motor vehicle thefts rose 11.8 percent.
- Collectively, victims of property crimes (excluding arson) suffered losses estimated at $17.5 billion in 2020.
- The FBI estimated law enforcement agencies nationwide made 7.6 million arrests, (excluding those for traffic violations) in 2020.
- The arrest rate for violent crime was 147.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, and the arrest rate for property crime was 267.3 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- By violent crime offense, the arrest rate for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter was 3.8 per 100,000 inhabitants; rape (aggregate total using the revised and legacy definition), 6.3; robbery, 21.0; and aggravated assault, 116.8 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- Of the property crime offenses, the arrest rate for burglary was 45.7 per 100,000 inhabitants; larceny-theft, 193.1; and motor vehicle theft, 25.5. The arrest rate for arson was 3.0 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- In 2020, 13,377 law enforcement agencies reported their staffing levels to the FBI. These agencies reported that, as of October 31, 2020, they collectively employed 696,644 sworn officers and 309,135 civilians—a rate of 3.4 employees per 1,000 inhabitants.
Full Report
The downloadable files of Crime in the United States, 2020, are available on the UCR’s Crime Data Explorer.
Source
Increasing Crime-2021
As of this writing, we have statistics from the FBI for 2020 and the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey for 2019. We do not have data from official sources for 2021. However, all indications from news reports indicate a growing problem with homicides and other forms of violent crime.
CNN: So far, 2021 is on pace to be the worst year for gun violence in decades, surpassing even the high levels last year.
Source
See More
See more articles on crime and justice at Crime in America.
Most Dangerous Cities/States/Countries at Most Dangerous Cities.
US Crime Rates at Nationwide Crime Rates.
National Offender Recidivism Rates at Offender Recidivism.
An Overview Of Data On Mental Health at Mental Health And Crime.
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