Like most criminologists would suggest crime over the past several years has been relatively flat. I would say that the 2011 crime report suggests that would still to be true. With burglaries being up .03 over the country that is a very small increase in comparing totals with last year. The most notable change is the increase in murders in cities with less than 10,000 people. It would be interesting to know if these murders were related to increased gang violence or if they are more in line with domestic homicides. The specifics of the murders would be interesting to exam, especially with all murders in the country being down for the year. Thanks Jason 123
Jason nice blog. You bring up a great point about the crime. It was hard time in 2011. With the jobs lying everyone off. Hall street tanking and with these little towns there jobs is the way of life so I can see how both might go up. Do to more fight with the spouses and or joining a gang because they can get money. Now you got me thanking. Thanks Eddie123
Like the blog Jason. I like your theory on why murders are up in the small towns. It could be from gangs starting to move to smaller areas, because it is easier to take over those places and law enforcement is very small. I also agree with Eddie thought that the economy is tanking causing people to do stuff that they might not do. It would be nice to look into the increase of the murders over the past year and see what they reported the past several year. Thanks Josh123
I think you make very good points Eddie. The tanning salon I managed in Washington IL was a target of burglary about the same time the economy hit the downturn. It was a scary experience. It would be interesting to know if the economy played a major role in some of the increases we saw. Thank you, Jennifer123
Nice point. I'd like to know why the murders went up in smaller towns to. I come from a very small town but thank god noone here went on a murder streak.
Crimes Rates Are Down We see that crime in our country is down. In the violent crime offenses category, murder was down overall 1.9 percent from 2010 figures, while forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault all fell 4.0 percent. In the property crimes category, motor vehicle theft saw the largest decline (3.3 percent) from 2010 figures, followed by larceny-theft (0.9 percent). There was, however, an increase in murder in the Midwest (0.6 percent) and an 18.3 percent jump in murder in cities with populations of less than 10,000. And with the rise in property crimes was in the burglary category, which was up .03 percent overall, with increases of 3.2 percent in the Northeast, 1.3 percent in the Midwest, and 0.7 percent in the West. We also have to remember that the UCR my not proved us with the complete. It measures reported crimes only. It by be affected by police bias and distortions in reporting crime to the FBI. It focuses on victims directly reporting crime to the police. Thanks, Eddie123
Crime is down over the past year, but not by much and it could also be that local agencies are reporting less. The one that shows a lot of interest is the towns with less than 10,000. How can the murders go up that much. There is something going on there. Are those agencies finally reporting murders or has all crime went up in those small towns, but they have not reported those yet. Just a thought. Thanks Joshua123
Most criminologist are reporting that crime has stated the same over the past several years and that shows to be true from the reports of 2011. There was no much of change in any category except for for the 18.3 percent increase in murders for town less than 10,000. The reports to the UCR are all voluntary by the local agencies. That is just a big jump from 2010. It sounds like that local agencies in smaller communities have not been reporting there murders. It would nice to see the actual reports for several years back for those towns and see what they really reported. I read that some agencies will not report all the crime, so that there numbers are lower for the year. Just a thought. Thanks Joshua 123
Joshua, some of the points you make are very good, but I found it interesting that you mentioned law enforcement not reporting homicides in the past. I don't think that is the case. The one thing that is possible is the fact that smaller agencies are actually recognizing crime better. For example drug induced homicides. In the past if a subject died of a drug overdose it probably would have just been reported as such, an overdose. In today’s society that is not good enough any more and law enforcement is now investigating these deaths as a homicide, which could be part of the increase in reporting to the UCR. Curious as to what you think. Jason123
While the burglaries may not have seen a huge increase, I would be interested to know the specifics on them. I know in my area alone it seemed that once the economy hit a downturn, the rise in auto thefts and breaking and enterings sure seemed to rise. Although, unfortunatly, it seems many cities are still plagued with drug problems as well and I'm sure they play a role also.
I was actually surprised to see majority of crime decrease even though im glad it did im still shocked. I would had imagine it getting worse especially with the economy and a lot of people still out of work. But one of the biggest shock was murderes going up in towns less than 10,000 in population, i used to live in an extremly small town and never did a murder accur just because everyone knew evryone and was real friendly. I agree with Jason in wanting to know what has caused the increase in samller towns. Thanks Jake 123
I find it interesting that the Midwest is the place that seems to be "growing" the most. Overall crime is dropping, but in the Midwest, murder rose .6% and burglary was up 1.3% beaten only by the northwest. I also wonder if the reason that vehicle theft has dropped is because of increased security on the newer models of cars. Many have GPS built in and are harder to break into. Could that be a large deterrent? Thanks Dustin123
Hopflop - I was just about to ask the same thing. Is the reason because of the auto theft declining because of the smarter technology? Keyless entries, computer chips in the keys or fab things, and it seems all the new vehicles have the built in "computers" (gps, onstar, siris radio, etc), which means they could be located if stolen pretty easily. The economy hitting a low would explain numbers in some areas of the crime rates, but one thing I ponder and wonder if they ask the people who give these kinds of results is the reasoning behind their crimes. Why did they do it? Were they jobless? Were they desperate? Or were they just out to do something bad? I always wonder the reasoning behind the motives of criminals with different crimes. Thanks Susie123
Definitely some good points here, hopflop and outdoorwoman84. Not refuting your thoughts here, but in order to determine whether it is actually these new security systems are to owe for the decreased auto theft, I think it'd be helpful to look at what kinds of cars were being stolen in the past. If they were primarily newer cars, than perhaps the new security systems are deterring criminals. If they were primarily older cars, than we cannot thank newer security systems unless those "new" security systems are present in the older cars in some older form. Very interesting musings, both of you folks!
It was inteesting to see that most crimes were down. Maybe all the technology play a big part in that. I agree with jason about wanting to know why murder arose in smaller towns. I come from a small town and i believe there has been 1 murder since i have been alive. Thanks, Bethany 123
I agree Bethany, I want to know why murders in small town are rising too. I also live in a small town and obviously murder is extremely rare here (I think that there have been about 3 murders in the 19 years that I have lived here). To see such a big jump in just one year is scary and I would like to know why that jump was so big. Michelle123.
Most of the numbers reported in the 2011 preliminary UCR are unremarkable and that is a really great thing to see. Seeing flat numbers may not be ideal (obviously seeing decreases would be best), but with the economy still lagging, seeing flat numbers instead of increases is comforting. The only number that concerned me was 18.3% jump in small town murders. That number is so large compared to the other rates that there seems to be something wrong with that figure. Maybe the murder rate really did jump that much in small towns, but I'm skeptical about that because that just doesn't seem right. I don't know what may have happened, but I think that there may have been an error in the information. If not, then the authorities really need to find out why there was such a huge increase. Thanks Michelle123.
Though it is important to remember the shortcomings of the UCR (potential overreporting, not all agencies reporting, etc), it is still wonderful news to see that crime is decreasing. The sharper decreases of -4% or more are occurring in the fields of forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and arson. The 18.3% increase in murders in cities with populations of less than 10,000 is peculiar. That is quite a jump. When I think murders I tend to think larger cities, and while a city under 10,000 population is still quite large, I am still surprised to see this remarkable jump in murder. The decrease in forcible rape is especially uplifting to me, rape is a crime that can violate a person like no other crime can.
Like most criminologists would suggest crime over the past several years has been relatively flat. I would say that the 2011 crime report suggests that would still to be true. With burglaries being up .03 over the country that is a very small increase in comparing totals with last year. The most notable change is the increase in murders in cities with less than 10,000 people. It would be interesting to know if these murders were related to increased gang violence or if they are more in line with domestic homicides. The specifics of the murders would be interesting to exam, especially with all murders in the country being down for the year. Thanks Jason 123
ReplyDeleteGeorge - nice point. We use the tool to help understand a little bit more.....
DeleteJason nice blog. You bring up a great point about the crime. It was hard time in 2011. With the jobs lying everyone off. Hall street tanking and with these little towns there jobs is the way of life so I can see how both might go up. Do to more fight with the spouses and or joining a gang because they can get money. Now you got me thanking.
DeleteThanks Eddie123
Like the blog Jason. I like your theory on why murders are up in the small towns. It could be from gangs starting to move to smaller areas, because it is easier to take over those places and law enforcement is very small. I also agree with Eddie thought that the economy is tanking causing people to do stuff that they might not do. It would be nice to look into the increase of the murders over the past year and see what they reported the past several year. Thanks Josh123
DeleteI think you make very good points Eddie. The tanning salon I managed in Washington IL was a target of burglary about the same time the economy hit the downturn. It was a scary experience. It would be interesting to know if the economy played a major role in some of the increases we saw. Thank you, Jennifer123
DeleteLike the blog jason i would have to agree in wanting to know what caused the increase in smaller towns.
DeleteNice point. I'd like to know why the murders went up in smaller towns to. I come from a very small town but thank god noone here went on a murder streak.
DeleteCrimes Rates Are Down
ReplyDeleteWe see that crime in our country is down. In the violent crime offenses category, murder was down overall 1.9 percent from 2010 figures, while forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault all fell 4.0 percent. In the property crimes category, motor vehicle theft saw the largest decline (3.3 percent) from 2010 figures, followed by larceny-theft (0.9 percent). There was, however, an increase in murder in the Midwest (0.6 percent) and an 18.3 percent jump in murder in cities with populations of less than 10,000. And with the rise in property crimes was in the burglary category, which was up .03 percent overall, with increases of 3.2 percent in the Northeast, 1.3 percent in the Midwest, and 0.7 percent in the West. We also have to remember that the UCR my not proved us with the complete. It measures reported crimes only. It by be affected by police bias and distortions in reporting crime to the FBI. It focuses on victims directly reporting crime to the police.
Thanks,
Eddie123
Crime is down over the past year, but not by much and it could also be that local agencies are reporting less. The one that shows a lot of interest is the towns with less than 10,000. How can the murders go up that much. There is something going on there. Are those agencies finally reporting murders or has all crime went up in those small towns, but they have not reported those yet. Just a thought. Thanks Joshua123
DeleteMost criminologist are reporting that crime has stated the same over the past several years and that shows to be true from the reports of 2011. There was no much of change in any category except for for the 18.3 percent increase in murders for town less than 10,000. The reports to the UCR are all voluntary by the local agencies. That is just a big jump from 2010. It sounds like that local agencies in smaller communities have not been reporting there murders. It would nice to see the actual reports for several years back for those towns and see what they really reported. I read that some agencies will not report all the crime, so that there numbers are lower for the year. Just a thought. Thanks Joshua 123
ReplyDeleteJoshua, some of the points you make are very good, but I found it interesting that you mentioned law enforcement not reporting homicides in the past. I don't think that is the case. The one thing that is possible is the fact that smaller agencies are actually recognizing crime better. For example drug induced homicides. In the past if a subject died of a drug overdose it probably would have just been reported as such, an overdose. In today’s society that is not good enough any more and law enforcement is now investigating these deaths as a homicide, which could be part of the increase in reporting to the UCR. Curious as to what you think. Jason123
DeleteWhile the burglaries may not have seen a huge increase, I would be interested to know the specifics on them. I know in my area alone it seemed that once the economy hit a downturn, the rise in auto thefts and breaking and enterings sure seemed to rise. Although, unfortunatly, it seems many cities are still plagued with drug problems as well and I'm sure they play a role also.
ReplyDeleteI was actually surprised to see majority of crime decrease even though im glad it did im still shocked. I would had imagine it getting worse especially with the economy and a lot of people still out of work. But one of the biggest shock was murderes going up in towns less than 10,000 in population, i used to live in an extremly small town and never did a murder accur just because everyone knew evryone and was real friendly. I agree with Jason in wanting to know what has caused the increase in samller towns.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jake 123
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the Midwest is the place that seems to be "growing" the most. Overall crime is dropping, but in the Midwest, murder rose .6% and burglary was up 1.3% beaten only by the northwest. I also wonder if the reason that vehicle theft has dropped is because of increased security on the newer models of cars. Many have GPS built in and are harder to break into. Could that be a large deterrent? Thanks Dustin123
ReplyDeleteHopflop - I was just about to ask the same thing. Is the reason because of the auto theft declining because of the smarter technology? Keyless entries, computer chips in the keys or fab things, and it seems all the new vehicles have the built in "computers" (gps, onstar, siris radio, etc), which means they could be located if stolen pretty easily.
ReplyDeleteThe economy hitting a low would explain numbers in some areas of the crime rates, but one thing I ponder and wonder if they ask the people who give these kinds of results is the reasoning behind their crimes. Why did they do it? Were they jobless? Were they desperate? Or were they just out to do something bad? I always wonder the reasoning behind the motives of criminals with different crimes. Thanks Susie123
Definitely some good points here, hopflop and outdoorwoman84. Not refuting your thoughts here, but in order to determine whether it is actually these new security systems are to owe for the decreased auto theft, I think it'd be helpful to look at what kinds of cars were being stolen in the past. If they were primarily newer cars, than perhaps the new security systems are deterring criminals. If they were primarily older cars, than we cannot thank newer security systems unless those "new" security systems are present in the older cars in some older form. Very interesting musings, both of you folks!
DeleteAbhra123
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt was inteesting to see that most crimes were down. Maybe all the technology play a big part in that. I agree with jason about wanting to know why murder arose in smaller towns. I come from a small town and i believe there has been 1 murder since i have been alive. Thanks, Bethany 123
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree Bethany, I want to know why murders in small town are rising too. I also live in a small town and obviously murder is extremely rare here (I think that there have been about 3 murders in the 19 years that I have lived here). To see such a big jump in just one year is scary and I would like to know why that jump was so big. Michelle123.
DeleteMost of the numbers reported in the 2011 preliminary UCR are unremarkable and that is a really great thing to see. Seeing flat numbers may not be ideal (obviously seeing decreases would be best), but with the economy still lagging, seeing flat numbers instead of increases is comforting. The only number that concerned me was 18.3% jump in small town murders. That number is so large compared to the other rates that there seems to be something wrong with that figure. Maybe the murder rate really did jump that much in small towns, but I'm skeptical about that because that just doesn't seem right. I don't know what may have happened, but I think that there may have been an error in the information. If not, then the authorities really need to find out why there was such a huge increase. Thanks Michelle123.
ReplyDeleteHey! Good news!
ReplyDeleteThough it is important to remember the shortcomings of the UCR (potential overreporting, not all agencies reporting, etc), it is still wonderful news to see that crime is decreasing. The sharper decreases of -4% or more are occurring in the fields of forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and arson. The 18.3% increase in murders in cities with populations of less than 10,000 is peculiar. That is quite a jump. When I think murders I tend to think larger cities, and while a city under 10,000 population is still quite large, I am still surprised to see this remarkable jump in murder. The decrease in forcible rape is especially uplifting to me, rape is a crime that can violate a person like no other crime can.
Thanks,
Abhra123