Violent crime offenses remained relatively unchanged - Crime Data

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Oct, 2002

Preliminary 2001 data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program indicates a 2 percent increase in the nation's Crime Index from the 2000 figure. The Crime Index is composed of murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. The Modified Crime Index includes the property crime of arson.

Including the offenses surrounding the events of September 11, 2001, preliminary data show that the 2001 Crime Index remains at the 2 percent increase from the 2000 figure; the volume of violent crime increased .6 percent; and the murder volume increased 26.4 percent. However, the FBI advised that the figures reflecting the offenses from the events of September 11 are not included in the trend data because they are statistical outliers that will affect current and future crime trends.

Preliminary figures for 2001, excluding the data mentioned above, suggest that the volume of violent crime offenses remained relatively unchanged--a .3 percent increase--when compared with data for 2000; however, the volume of property crime offenses rose by 2.2 percent.

Among violent crimes, robbery showed the greatest increase, 3.9 percent. Murder rose 3.1 percent, and forcible rape showed a minimal increase of .2 percent. Aggravated assault, which is the most frequently occurring violent crime in the Index, was the only violent offense to show a decrease from the 2000 volume--1.4 percent. In the property crime category, motor vehicle theft increased 5.9 percent, and burglary rose 2.6 percent. Arson and larceny-theft increased 2 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.

Collectively, law enforcement agencies in three of the nation's four geographical regions reported increases in their Crime Index totals. Agencies in the West recorded a 4.5 percent increase; agencies in the South, a 1.9 percent increase; and agencies in the Midwest, a .9 percent increase. Northeastern agencies collectively noted an overall Crime Index decrease of 1.2 percent.

For the complete preliminary annual Uniform Crime Report press release, access the FBI's Internet site at http://www.fbi.gov.