Eye On Crime In America

Violent crime is on the rise in the United States. The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program published its 2005 edition of Crime in the United States, a statistical compilation of offense and arrest data reported by law enforcement agencies nationwide. The FBI's final numbers for last year show violent crime was up for the first time in four years. Murders rose 3.4 percent, and the number of juveniles arrested for murder jumped nearly 20 percent.

What are the key crime statistics?

From 2004 to 2005, the rate of violent crime, estimated at 469.2 violent offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, increased 1.3 percent.

The rate of property crime, estimated at 3,429.8 property offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, decreased 2.4 percent.

Collectively, victims of property crimes (excluding arson) lost an estimated $16.5 billion: $7.6 billion in motor vehicle thefts, $5.2 billion as a result of larceny thefts, and $3.7 billion in burglaries.

The offense of forcible rape was the only violent crime to show a decrease
(1.2 percent) in estimated volume when compared with 2004 data.

Of the 14.1 million arrests made by law enforcement in 2005, drug violations accounted for more than any other offense.

What are the hate crime statistics?

The FBI's annual hate crime statistics (2005) show a noticeable decline from 2004.

2005 criminal incidents: 7,163
2004 criminal incidents: 7,649

2005 Number of victims: 8,804
2004 Number of victims: 9,528

The percentage of crimes committed because of someone's race went up from 52.9 percent in 2004 to 59.0 in 2005.

What are some of the variables that affect crime?

To assess criminality and law enforcement's response from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, one must consider many variables, some of which, while having significant impact on crime, are not readily measurable or applicable pervasively among all locales. Geographic and demographic factors specific to each jurisdiction must be considered and applied if one is going to make an accurate and complete assessment of crime in that jurisdiction.

What is crime like in my city?

The biggest increase came in crime came in midsize cities, with violent crime up four times the national average. The FBI tracks the data for crime by state and city. To find out about crime in your city, click here.

How many police are there in my neighborhood?

The FBI has compiled this information, according to state and city. You can obtain it by clicking here

To read more about crime in the U.S.

• For more details on the FBI's crime report, click here

Click here for an interactive about crime in America from CBSNews.com.

• Read more about the Uniform Crime Reporting Program here.

• For regional crime figures, click here.