Crime 2007

New York had 494 homicides last year, the lowest since reliable figures were first gathered in 1963. 

Foxnews.com reported on June 9 that the preliminary annual Uniform Crime Report from the FBI shows that violent and property crime declined 1.4 percent in 2007 from their 2006 level.  This report reverses a two-year increase in crime: violent crimes had increased 2.3 percent in 2005 (over 2004's levels) and 1.9 percent in 2006 (over 2005's levels).  Property crimes fell 2.1 in 2007, the largest drop in the last four years.  "The largest declines were in vehicle theft, down 8.9 percent and in rape, down 4.3 percent and murder, down 2.7 percent." 

"The crime trends were not uniform. Murders, for instance, were down in cities of more than 250,000, including an enormous 9.8 percent drop in cities of more than a million residents. But murders rose in some small cities — up 3.7 percent in cities of 50,000 to 100,000, up 1.9 percent in cities of 100,000 to 250,000, and up 1.8 percent in cities under 10,000. Historically, murder trends have begun in the largest cities and moved over several years to smaller ones.

The other violent crimes tracked by FBI statistics — robbery and aggravated assault — were both down 1.2 percent." 

"Violent crimes dropped most in the Northeast, down 5.4 percent with 1.7 percent declines in both the Midwest and West. But it rose 0.7 percent in the South.

Property crimes followed the same pattern: rising only in the South, where they were up 1.1 percent. The West recorded a 4.7 percent decline in property crimes, followed by the Midwest, down 3.6 percent and the Northeast, down 2.9 percent." 

The FBI's Uniform Crime Report website on these preliminary data is here with links to the underlying tables.

TSU