FBI:
Violent crime rises for first time since 2001
posted at rawstory.com
The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) reveal that
the volume of violent crime in the United States rose by 2.3 percent in 2005,
the first such increase since 2001.
Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty held a press conference on Monday to
discuss that and other statistics reported in the UCR package.
"Today's numbers with the UCR data overall is good news," McNulty
stated. "The overall rate of crime is at its lowest ... in the UCR study,
in more than 30 years. That's the overall crime rate."
McNulty differentiated between two "pieces" of the overall crime
rate, those being property crime and violent crime. While property crime dropped
2.4 percent in 2005, the rate of violent crime increased 1.3 percent.
"UCR numbers are generally talked about in FBI's materials in relation
to volume of crime," McNulty further explained, "and there, the
volume of ... violent crime [is up] by 2.3 percent."
The Deputy Attorney General also noted "a significant rise in gun crime
within that overall statistical equality with the previous year."
When asked what other factors may have caused the increase, McNulty replied,
"I think gangs and the increase in gangs and the increase in the membership
of gangs would have to be cited as one thing that could be causing an increase
in violent crime right now.
"Methamphetamine is another thing that seems to be spreading
geographically in areas where it wasn't present five to ten years ago, or even
more recently." McNulty also cited population increase as another likely
factor.
The Deputy Attorney General was also asked if he was concerned that the
global effort against terrorism was overwhelming the connectivity between the
federal government and local law enforcement. "I believe, in talking to
chiefs and ... district attorneys," McNulty replied, "that the
relationship between federal law enforcement and local law enforcement is much
stronger today than what it was before.
"I think that the terrorism mission has not cost us anything when it
comes to our relationships but has given us an opportunity to be more closely
connected."
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