FBI: Violent Crime, Property Crime Continued to Decline in 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS/AP) The FBI has released a preliminary report that say violent crime and property crime continued to decline in the first half of 2010.
The FBI's semiannual uniform crime report, released Monday, said that from January to June reports of violent crime dropped 6.2 percent, while property crime reports were down 2.8 percent.
Despite the lagging economy, the dip in reported crimes follows a three-year trend of decreasing crime rates.The FBI reports that murders dropped 7.1 percent in the first six months of 2010 while robberies decreased by 10.7 percent. Vehicle thefts reportedly dropped by 9.7 percent as well.
The reports produced by the FBI since 2008 have shown a steady decrease in crime rates.
Experts are somewhat baffled by the decreasing crime rates, since due to the struggling economy the government has been forced to cut back on all types of public services, including local police budgets.
However, David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said it's a common misconception to believe the economy alone influences crime rates.
"Any impact the economy has on crime ... is really insignificant compared to much more powerful influences, especially drug epidemics," Kennedy said.