San Antonio ranks first nationally for serious crimes, FBI data show
In 2016, the city of San Antonio ranked first nationally out of 15 of the country’s largest cities for the per capita number of “Part 1 offenses” the eight crimes the FBI considers the most serious.
These crimes are murder and non-negligent homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny and arson, according to the FBI.
But there’s no need to panic: Criminal justice experts and law enforcement officials say its normal for crime to fluctuate from year to year, sometimes without an apparent cause. It also depends on how you analyze the data, they say.
For example, if you change the criteria, looking at the nation’s largest 50 cities, San Antonio ranks high — but not first — for the number of Part 1 offenses.
Homicides and violent crime also rose in San Antonio last year. In 2016, there were 149 homicides in San Antonio, a 21-year high. The per capita homicide rate, 10.8 per 100,000 people, also jumped to the highest it has been in 20 years.
That places San Antonio sixth out of 15 of the nation’s largest cities, trailing Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston and Jacksonville, Fla.
San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus has said there seems to be no rhyme or reason for the increase in violence, but he has maintained that San Antonio is still very safe and that the police department is doing everything it can to combat the uptick in crime.