USA TODAY International Edition
Gun violence fuels urban crime surge
Violent crime rate rose almost 4% last year, with murder up 12.8% in cities. Yet the total for 2015 was 1% lower than 2011.
Overall violent WASHINGTON crime in the U. S. increased by nearly 4% last year, the FBI reported Monday, as several major cities struggled to deal with rising gun violence,
The FBI’s annual crime report found that murder was up 12.8% in cities, driving the overall increase. Property- related crime, however, dropped by 2.6%.
While the one- year violent crime increase was significant, the 2015 total was nearly 1% lower than in 2011 and 16.5% below the level a decade ago, according to FBI records.
FBI Director James Comey, who has previously suggested that violent crime surges in some cities may be a result of a less aggressive law enforcement approach in the face of increased public scrutiny, called Monday for “more transparency and accountability in law enforcement.”
“We also need better, more informed conversations about crime and policing in this country,” Comey said. “To get there, we are improving the way this nation collects, analyzes and uses crime statistics and data about law enforcement’s use of force.”
As police departments face questions about the use of deadly force, the Justice Department is seeking to create a database to track deadly encounters between police and the public. A functional repository could take years to establish, officials have said.
The report came just hours before Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump were set to square off in their first debate of the general election campaign in which crime and the conduct of police have led the candidates to confront problems in Charlotte, Tulsa and other communities.
Trump has seized on violent crime spikes as part of recent proposal to bring back “stop- andfrisk” tactics in which police have engaged in routine stops of people for searches in part to seize illegal weapons. The practices have drawn the ire of civil rights advocates and some judges.
The FBI’s crime numbers, while a measure of last year’s criminal activity in the U. S., represent the beginning of troubling developments that continue in cities across the country.
The Major Cities Chiefs Association has issued its mid- year violent crime report, which found continuing increases in murder, robbery, aggravated assault and non- fatal shootings, according to data provided by 61 of the nation’s largest cities, including Chicago, Las Vegas, Memphis, Philadelphia and San Antonio.