Violent crime increased in New York and throughout the United States last year, according to a report by the F.B.I. They reported that the largest increase happened in cities with larger populations between 500,000 and one million people.
The F.B.I. reported that violent crime increased by 3.7 percent, with the murder rate increasing by 12.5 percent in 2012 in these cities. Cities across the U.S. with populations larger than one million people also saw an increase in violent crime. Violent crime increased by 1.4 percent and the murder rate increased by 1.5 percent.
The increase in violent crime was surprising because the violent crime rate had been declining in the country over the last several years. The F.B.I. report showed that the last time violent crime increased was back in 2006.
Criminal justice experts were cautious of why the crime rate increased last year, saying that it is difficult to tell why violent crime increased in 2012. So far, experts say they need to monitor another year or two before they tell if there is a pattern explaining why violent crime has increased.
While criminal justice experts say that they need to see if crime continues to increase in the following years before they can see a pattern, they did state a few reasons that may have contributed to the increase in violent crime. One reason cited is that there are fewer police officers working in metropolitan areas due to budget cuts, leaving fewer police officers to investigate or arrest suspected criminals.
With the increase in violent crime in New York and other surrounding states, law enforcement agencies may try to crackdown on crime and arrest more suspects in the coming months and years.
Source: The New York Times, “Violent Crime in U.S. Rises for First Time Since 2006,” Timothy Williams, June 3, 2013
