FBI: Violent Crime Rose In First 6 Months Of 2015 Over 2014

[Purveyor]

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Violent crime rose across the country in the first six months of 2015 compared to the same period the year before, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the FBI.

The statistics show a 1.7 percent jump in the overall number of violent crimes reported by local law enforcement, with increases in murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The FBI said violent crime rose most dramatically, at 5.3 percent, in cities with populations between 250,000 and 499,999.

Burglary and property crimes, however, dropped in the first six months of last year, as did arson offenses, the FBI said.

The statistics provide some support for assertions, voiced in the last few months by local and federal law enforcement officials, of a crime spike in 2015. But the snapshot is widely understood to be incomplete since the data from local law enforcement is reported to the FBI voluntarily, and not all agencies participate.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FBI_VIOLENT_CRIME?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-01-19-15-57-53

[Kelvin Mace]

1. So,

The statistics provide some support for assertions, voiced in the last few months by local and federal law enforcement officials, of a crime spike in 2015. But the snapshot is widely understood to be incomplete since the data from local law enforcement is reported to the FBI voluntarily, and not all agencies participate.

the stats are nonsense.

[Igel]

2. Don't be so dismissive.

If they're from substantially the same jurisdictions as before, and we have no reason to think that a lot of jurisdictions have changed their laws and practices, then they're valid for this sample and can be used as proxies for other jurisdictions that don't report when it comes to year-over-year comparisons.

They're the same stats that are proudly trotted out for crime reductions, for looking at in-group versus out-group crime, gun-related crime rates, hate crimes, reduce in homicides directed at police, official rape-rate stats, etc., etc., etc.

That camel's nose is so far under the tent flap that it's brought in its mate and several generations of offspring.

"It disagrees with what I need to believe" is no more a reasonable principle of analysis than "It agrees with what I need to believe."

[Proserpina]

3. Does this mean they are counting crimes committed by police, now?