In a groundbreaking article released on Sunday, the Washington Post reported the findings of a five-month study showing that from January through May 2015, at least 385 people were shot and killed by on-duty police officers in the U.S. The rate of killings, more than two per day, is also more than twice the rate reported by the FBI in the last decade. In addition to the possibility of a spike in police killings, the Post points to the lack of accuracy in past reporting for the disparity. The article also mentions that the FBI itself is aware that its numbers are incomplete, particularly because these statistics are voluntarily submitted by police departments.

Other studies, including a project by the Guardian called The Counted, also reveal the incredible rate of uncounted police shootings. In a period of public outcry over police brutality, it is no coincidence that this issue is finally being addressed. By not requiring accurate statistics to be maintained, the government is only reinforcing public fears of a lack of police accountability. Understanding the extent of this problem is the first step toward being able to properly discuss and analyze it.

The Post study also found some troubling patterns in these shootings. Nearly a quarter of the victims were identified by police or family members as mentally ill. Among the cases identified by the Post, 16 percent of the victims were either unarmed or were carrying toy weapons. Both the the Post and the Guardian investigations highlight the disproportionate killings of blacks and Hispanics, particularly in shootings with unarmed victims. Police treatment of mentally ill suspects and minorities have become a widespread issue on which these studies begin to provide insight.

Although these reports sparked some public outrage, it is important to remember the big picture. More than 80 percent of those killed by police were armed with potentially lethal objects, which likely makes police action justified in many situations.

Police shootings are a complex and nuanced issue. Comparisons between the United States and other nations are not incredibly informative given the vast differences in weapon ownership, crime, and various other characteristics. Furthermore, the demonization of police officers to which some citizens resort, is neither reasonable nor helpful in dealing with this issue. Nevertheless, limiting police shootings is certainly a laudable goal, and gathering accurate data is the best place to start.

Let us not forget the harmful consequences that officer-involved shootings can have on police departments and individual officers. Police officers face the damage–particularly emotional damage–that can be inflicted when they are compelled to use deadly force. Moreover, the divide that such events creates between law enforcement and their communities can be detrimental to their ability to function. Unnecessary police shootings are a losing situation for all sides and must be addressed by law enforcement.

One issue that relates directly to these shootings is police officer training. This issue was addressed from a unique perspective in an article on Police One by Roy Bedard, a close quarters and field tactics specialist who trains police, corrections officers, and military professionals. He cites his own rookie officer training and the training that most new officers receive on handgun use. Officers are trained to fire for the center of mass in order to “shoot to stop,” yet Bedard comments on how “shoot to stop” and “shoot to kill” become synonymous in practice.  With this training, it is no surprise that rough encounters with police have resulted in so many deaths.

It would be foolish to blame police shootings solely on training and decisions made by police officers. In high-intensity situations with civilian lives on the line, as well as their own, police officers must quickly determine the best course of action for all involved. Sometimes this means shooting suspects. Sometimes these shootings save lives and that must not be forgotten. Nevertheless, it is important for police departments to train their officers to use deadly force as sparingly as possible. Many of the cases cited by the Washington Post, as well as several recent high-profile police shootings, point to officers using unnecessary force, which is troubling.

On Tuesday, following growing publicity of these reports, two senators announced their plan to introduce legislation that would require states to report all police-related deaths to the Justice Department. This bill, proposed by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) would require all details of these cases to be reported, including age, race, sex, and the situation surrounding the shooting. With more accurate information, law enforcement will be able to understand the true scope of police shootings and take any necessary steps to reduce them.

Maurin Mwombela

Maurin Mwombela is a member of the University of Pennsylvania class of 2017 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer 2015. He now blogs for Law Street, focusing on politics. Contact Maurin at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Number of Americans Killed By Police is Much Higher Than You Think appeared first on Law Street.

New York City experienced four fatal shootings last Friday night, including the death of Jahhad Marshall, a 22-year-old chef who was killed in Queens. Stacey Calhoun, the victim’s uncle, told the media the next day, “We need stop-and-frisk.” This comes amid a significant call for the return of the controversial NYPD policy. In particular, Stop-and-Frisk supporters cite the nearly 18 percent increase in murders in New York City between January 1 and May 30, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014. Moreover, there was a 7.7 percent increase in shootings–from 403 to 434–during the same period.

In the wake of the increase in murders, particularly shooting-related murders, the heated debate over the efficacy of stop-and-frisk has returned. Supporters of the policy cite the dramatic decrease in crime in New York City since 2002, when stop-and-frisk became more frequently used. Between 2002 and 2011, there was a steady increase in stop-and-frisk related stops from 97,296 to 685,724. In this same period, there was a steady decrease in shooting deaths, as well as overall murders. Proponents argue that the threat of being searched leads to decreased gun possession and thus decreased gun violence. Therefore, many supporters of stop-and-frisk blame Mayor Bill de Blasio’s reigning in of the policy for the increased number of murders in 2015, particularly firearm murders. In a recent interview with FOX News, former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik blamed the increase in crime in 2015 on the dismantling of stop-and-frisk, citing it as the reason for the decrease in crime in New York City.

Contrarily, a lot of  evidence suggests that stop-and-frisk was not a successful policy. The policy’s opponents point to the general inefficacy of the stops, about 90 percent of which did not result in further police action. Although former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others have defended the racial disparity of the stops by asserting that blacks and Hispanics are more likely to commit crimes, the NYCLU found that whites were twice as likely to possess  a weapon when stopped. Furthermore, the dramatic increase in stops between 2004 and 2011 did not lead to a dramatic increase in the number of weapons found (176 additional guns found in 524,873 additional stops). Following the controversy over the policy in 2011, the use of stop-and-frisk was dramatically reduced, and while searches decreased by 72 percent between 2011 to 2013, murders fell by 35 percent, and shootings fell by 29 percent. This shows that the continued trend of declining crime in New York City, as well as across the country, that has occurred since 1993 continued even with a dramatic cutback in the use of stop-and-frisk. This evidence seems to suggest that increased use of stop-and-frisk does not guarantee a decrease in the number of murders or shootings.

The bottom line is that it is statistically and logically imprudent to assert that the changing of one police policy is the cause of the increase in murders in New York City so far in 2015. It is possible that stop-and-frisk does limit violent crime; however, it is too soon to tell whether the policy’s removal under Mayor de Blasio is the reason for the additional murders this year. The small sample size of five months, relative to the 24 year trend of decreasing murder, also makes such assumptions fairly weak. Furthermore, the decrease in other crimes, including robbery, felony assault, burglary, and grand larceny point to the issue being more nuanced and complicated than some will admit. Other issues such as the growing civil unrest over police brutality and the possibility of a spike in gang activity are all possible causes. Mayor de Blasio has addressed those who blame his cutbacks on stop-and-frisk for the increased violence and has cited, among other factors, the possibility of gang-on-gang violence.

Contrary to opinions on both sides of the debate, the presence of stop-and-frisk is not an “all-or-nothing” situation. It is possible that the NYPD could return to the frequency of stops that it employed in 2002 while still limiting violence. Perhaps the threat of being searched does limit the possession of guns, as proponents of stop-and-frisk assert. On the other hand, the statistics don’t show that an increase in stops will lead to significantly more weapons seizures. Furthermore, the correlation between greater searches and fewer murders is far from definitive.

It is important to separate legitimate criticism of police tactics from a lack of respect and gratitude for their work. Some sensationalist defenders of stop-and-frisk will try to spin the attacks on the policy as such, and thus delegitimize an important debate. While there is no doubt that those who serve in police forces are brave and essential to our well being, it is important to constantly question and refine police methods.

Maurin Mwombela

Maurin Mwombela is a member of the University of Pennsylvania class of 2017 and was a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer 2015. He now blogs for Law Street, focusing on politics. Contact Maurin at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Is the End of Stop-and-Frisk to Blame for the Growth in NYC Murders? appeared first on Law Street.

Sexual assault on college campuses has been one of the hottest topics for a couple years now. Many universities are being investigated by the Department of Education for Title IX violations. The recent Rolling Stone article about rape on the campus of the University of Virginia that was partially retracted and has landed the publication in hot water over concerns about its journalistic ethics has seriously reignited the discussion. There are a lot of moving parts to the debate about sexual assault on college campuses, and I think that one of the many, many reasons that the conversation gets so easily muddied is that we don’t all agree on definitions, or statistics.

While this is obviously an extreme example, watch this video of “Princeton Mom” Susan Patton who I’m still a little bit sure must be running the world’s longest satirical performance. She begins the video by talking about how rape is no longer just defined as a woman being held at gunpoint and assaulted, and then spends the next ten minutes pretty much going on about what a shame that is. She also thinks that rape is often women falsely accusing men after “regrettable sex.” Then she talks about how it’s women’s responsibility to protect themselves from rape by not drinking, making good decisions, and choosing better friends. It’s a charming exercise in a game I like to subject myself to called “Holy Shit, People Actually Think This Way.”

Now the Department of Justice (DOJ) has weighed in with statistics from a study it conducted, and it’s probably going to all get even more confusing.

The new DOJ report dealt with not just college students, but college-aged females more generally. The DOJ report included the statistic that six of every 1,000 college females are sexually assaulted, and now everyone who thinks like Patton is using it to prove that sexual assault on college campuses isn’t a thing we should be worried about, and that this talk of “rape-culture” is overblown.

First, what we need to do is remember that anytime this sort of study is undertaken–one that relies on people’s word, memories, and stories, rather than say, hard facts in a laboratory–is that it needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

There have been other studies that indicate that the rate of college sexual assault is much higher than what the DOJ reports. A survey at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) concluded that 17 percent of female students and 5 percent of young men were sexually assaulted as students. Then there’s the Campus Sexual Assault Study from 2007 that gave us the now-infamous and oft-cited “one in five” statistic.

There are a few reasons why two studies can have such radically different numbers, and they’re excellently detailed here, by the Marshall Project. The main takeaway is this though: neither is necessarily right and neither is necessarily wrong. They asked different questions, they talked to different people, and at the end of the day, it’s really very much an inexact science. We’re not sure how many students are sexually assaulted; more studies to come might help us pinpoint that number, but probably not.

But we do know that at least some are. Furthermore, the same DOJ report stated that eighty percent of students sexually assaulted don’t report it. And 80 percent were assaulted by someone they know. Both of those statistics are deeply troubling.

No matter how many people are being assaulted on our college campuses–whether it’s one percent, twenty percent, or somewhere in between–it’s too many.

But that “less than one” percent is probably going to get thrown around for a while. Because, unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who, for whatever reason, don’t want to see change. They just got some ammunition, for now.

That’s why we need to keep having conversations about rape culture. Why we need to keep educating our young people, and for that matter, all our people, on consent. Why we need to stand up for rape victims when they’re accused of making up their stories. It doesn’t matter how many–any at all are too damn many.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post DOJ Stats Show College Sexual Assault Remains Too Prevalent appeared first on Law Street.

The FBI is changing the way that it deals with animal abuse. The abuse of animals is going to become a top-tier Group A felony with its own category, similar to homicide or assault. Interestingly, though, the logic behind the new classification of animal abuse has almost nothing to do with animals, and much more with preventative action.

The logic behind the new classification is that abusing animals can be a precursor to significantly more violent behavior. The pop culture archetype of a young child killing the neighbor’s cat, and then going on to become a serial killer, while overdramatic, is rooted in fact. The examples are easy to find and well known, according to PETA:

Albert DeSalvo (the ‘Boston Strangler’), who killed 13 women, trapped dogs and cats and shot arrows at them through boxes in his youth. Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer impaled frogs, cats, and dogs’ heads on sticks. Dennis Rader (the BTK killer), who terrorized people in Kansas, wrote in a chronological account of his childhood that he hanged a dog and a cat. During the trial of convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo, a psychology professor testified that the teenager, who killed 10 people with a rifle, had ‘pelted—and probably killed—numerous cats with marbles from a slingshot when he was about 14.’

The idea behind changing the way in which the FBI characterizes crimes against animals, is that they may be able to earlier identify these potentially troubled people. Before this change, the crimes were just filed as “other” and characterized as less serious. Often prior issues involving animals are overlooked or fall through the cracks and don’t come out until the perpetrator is arrested for a significantly more serious crime.

The ability to collect and analyze this data will also give more credence to the above theory, and hopefully convince more law enforcement officials that they need to take the abuse of animals seriously, because it could easily turn into the abuse of humans. John Thompson, a retired sheriff from Maryland, pointed out that the aggregation of data will help convince people that the connection between the abuse of animals and future crimes is “not just somebody saying the ‘Son of Sam’ killed animals before he went to human victims and 70-some percent of the school shooters abused animals prior to doing their acts before people.”

The new Group A Felony crimes will require the reporting of a few different kinds of crimes — certain levels of animal neglect, intentional abuse and torture, and organized abuse (such as dog fighting). The new classification will also require the police to review animal cruelty cases more frequently, hopefully helping them to pinpoint patterns. It may also allow them to get help for young people who are found abusing animals.

Another motivation for the new classifications is that they will help prosecutors get convictions, as well as lead to more plea bargains and sway juries.

Overall, this seems like a good move for the FBI. As little as it seemed to have been incorporated into the decision to upgrade animal abuse crimes, it is of course a great thing that more animals will be protected from abuse. And the preventative-measure aspect of the upgrade to classifications, even if it helps pinpoint just a few who have potential to hurt humans, will be worth it.

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Rick Kimpel via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post FBI: Animal Abuse Now Top-Tier Crime appeared first on Law Street.

For the first time, crime rates of all American cities with a population greater than 25,000 are ranked by state. See the slideshow below for the full ranking of America’s Most Dangerous States, or click the links below to go directly to the data for a specific state.

Jump to the slideshow

Law Street’s state-by-state slideshow of America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States details the violent crime statistics for every city in the United States with a population greater than 25,000 (1,583 cities in all). The data is from the FBI’s most recent Uniform Crime Report: Crime in the United States 2012. Each state’s cities are listed from highest to lowest rate of violent crime per 100,000 people, which is comprised of murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery.

Although the information is very important by itself, it is important to consider the context. There are several different factors that contribute to a city’s total number of violent crimes, including but not limited to economic conditions, population density, climate, and education levels, as well as a number of issues with the uniform crime report itself. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report remains the most comprehensive and accurate measure of violent crime in the United States. For more information, see Law Street’s Crime in America 2014 coverage.

Average violent crime rates for different sized cities, based on the FBI’s population grouping statistics from the Uniform Crime Report and its corresponding population estimates include: city of 25,000 – 49,999 people = 300; city of 50,000 – 99,999 people = 358.71; city of 100,000 – 249,999 people = 492.22; city of 250,000 or more people = 758.42. The state rankings are based on violent crime data from all cities in the state and are not limited to those with a population of at least 25,000.

AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Click here to read full Crime in America 2014 coverage.

Tennessee: #1 Most Dangerous State | 643.6 Violent Crimes/100,000 People

Courtesy of Brent Moore via Flickr.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Slideshow: America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States 2014 appeared first on Law Street.

It’s been a rough week for Thomas M. Cooley Law School. I really don’t know which was a harder hit, canceling enrollment for an entire incoming class of first year law students, or losing a $17 million defamation appeal.

A group of legal professionals founded the independent graduate school in 1972 in memory of Justice Thomas McIntyre Cooley. Cooley Law is home to the nation’s largest J.D. program, with four campuses located in Michigan (Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Lansing) and one campus in Florida (Tampa Bay.) The school released a statement on July 1 outlining its new “aggressive financial management plan.” Due to low enrollment and increasing costs, the institution could no longer maintain its imbalanced budget, and was forced to close admission to its Ann Arbor campus.

The downward trend in law school enrollment is not unique to Cooley Law–this is a nationwide phenomenon. According to The National Law Journal, 132 of the 199 schools accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) saw declines in their 1L classes in the last 12 months. The ABA published enrollment data shows that Cooley Law’s first year enrollment dropped by 35 percent last year–from 897 students in 2012 to 582 students in 2013. This drastic change caused Cooley Law to make budget cuts by closing off its Ann Arbor campus to new students, and they still haven’t disclosed what will happen to those who were planning to enroll at that campus. They’re also planning faculty and staff layoffs, though no specifics were given about which campuses would see losses.

This news was confirmed the same day as Cooley Law was alerted of its loss in a defamation suit in which they had claimed $17 million in losses. Cooley Law filed to sue a New York law firm for falsely accusing the school of inflating its post-grad employment statistics. It’s a pretty tangled web of lawsuits–but essentially the firm and Cooley Law had brought dueling suits accusing each other of making false statements. The New York judge dismissed the case on July 2, 2014–the same day the school announced its closure of the Ann Arbor Campus to new enrollees.

This isn’t the first time Cooley Law’s employment statistics came into question. Back in 2012, a group of 12 graduates from Cooley Law tried to sue the school for misrepresenting its post-graduation employment statistics. The grads said they wouldn’t have attended the school had they known the real numbers and sued for reimbursement of their purchase. Though the case was dismissed, a few ugly truths were made public during the ruling:

• US News & World Report ranked Cooley Law with the lowest admission standards of any accredited or provisionally accredited law school in the country.
• In 2010, Cooley Law accepted 83% of all applicants.
• In 2010, Cooley Law’s average admissions score was 146 – a national low.
• In 2010, Cooley Law’s average GPA was 2.99 – also a national low.
• In 2008, about 32% of the 1,500 first year students at Cooley Law did not return.

All of these revelations about the recent history of the nation’s largest law school does not bode well for its future But we should use this as a learning experience. First of all, I encourage all current and prospective law students to do their homework. Know your school, and know what you’re paying for! Take into account all aspects of your law school experience. Where is your school located? Is there an easily accessible alumni network? Does your school offer judicial clerkships, externships, clinics, pro bono practice opportunities, and study abroad programs? How much is your tuition, and how does that compare with your anticipated salary? These are all things you should take into consideration before signing up for something that can put you into some serious debt.

Don’t want to end up like the debt-riddled, unemployed Cooley Law grads who couldn’t win a lawsuit against their notorious alma mater? Look past the numbers and the statistics and look into the experience. The judge who ruled against the graduates, Gordon Quist, wrote in his decision that the grads made poor decisions, stating, “with red flags [waving] and cautionary bells ringing an ordinary prudent person would not have relied on the statistics to decide to spend $100,000 or more.”

The closing of Cooley Law’s Ann Arbor campus to new enrollment could indicate a future trend in law school actions nationwide. The decline in law school enrollment is no surprise, and law grads are struggling to find work. But would the industry improve by reducing the number of law schools? I think it would be best for students to be extra diligent in their enrollment decisions. Then by natural selection the weakest law schools that produce the most unsuccessful attorneys would be knocked off the map. It’s not a perfect formula, but there’s definitely a need for some big changes.

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Natasha Paulmeno (@natashapaulmeno) 

Image courtesy of [Matthew DeWaal via Flickr]

Natasha Paulmeno

Natasha Paulmeno is an aspiring PR professional studying at the University of Maryland. She is learning to speak Spanish fluently through travel, music, and school. In her spare time she enjoys Bachata music, playing with her dog, and exploring social media trends. Contact Natasha at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Hot Water appeared first on Law Street.

The FBI’s latest data shows crime dropping nationally; however, the results for the Top 10 Safest Cities were not all great news. Across the country, violent crime decreased 5.4 percent during the first six months of 2013 compared with the same period in 2012. Violent crime reporting was ahead of prior year figures in half of our Safest Cities, most notably by nearly 28 percent in #5 ranking Scottsdale, Ariz. The southwestern city’s rape and aggravated assault figures in particular were ahead of prior year reporting. On the opposite end of the spectrum, #6 ranking Henderson, Nev. saw its violent crime decrease more than 25 percent at the beginning of 2013, with significant drops in the same categories of rape and aggravated assault.

The FBI’s semiannual report covers January to June 2013 — the most recent period for which comprehensive crime statistics are available. Law Street’s analysis of this preliminary data for each of the Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000 appears below as an update to our original rankings published last Fall. Changes in these preliminary statistics, included below, compared with the same time period in the previous year provide key information on emerging trends in these important cities ahead of the full-year coverage of rankings that will be available this Fall. Click here for developing Crime in America 2014 coverage.

1. Irvine, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Irvine, Calif. — the safest American city over 200,000 — was slightly ahead of its 2012 violent crime rate, with an increase of 9.26 percent during the period January to June 2013. The large percentage increases in both murder and rape reflect very small numbers of actual cases: the city had two murders compared to one in the comparative period, and nine rapes compared with five in the same period of 2012. Robberies in the city decreased by nearly 16 percent to 16 instances.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +9.26%
Murder: +100%
Rape: +80%
Robbery: -15.79%
Aggravated Assault: +10.34%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF IRVINE’S 2012 RANKING

2. Gilbert, Ariz.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Gilbert, Ariz., Law’s Street’s #2 Safest City, experienced fairly consistent levels of violent crime during the first six months of 2013 versus prior year. The city’s total violent crime decreased by just under one percent, with 102 violent crimes versus 103 in the comparative period. Notably, there was only one murder during this period (versus four in the first six months of 2012). Rape reporting was up by 33 percent, but the yearly figures are not comparable due to changes in the FBI’s new definition of rape.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -0.97%
Murder: -75%
Rape: -33.33%*
Robbery: -8%
Aggravated Assault: +10.77%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF GILBERT’S 2012 RANKING

3. Plano, Texas

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE 
The FBI did not include Plano, Texas in its 2013 preliminary data — no explanation for this omission is provided, nor did the FBI respond to comment by the time this post published. According to the Plano Police Department, the city submits its data to the FBI on a monthly basis and should have been included in the Preliminary Semiannual Report. The figures below were provided directly to Law Street by the Plano Police Department. The #3 Safest City’s crime was down in the first six months of 2013, with the most dramatic changes in robbery and aggravated assault (8 and 18 fewer instances, respectively). Plano had two murders, compared with in the prior year, as well as 4 more rapes. Overall, violent crime was down nearly 12 percent between January and June 2013 compared with the same period in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -11.73%
Murder: 100%
Rape: 17.39%
Robbery: -16%
Aggravated Assault: -17.14%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF PLANO’S 2012 RANKING

4. Fremont, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Violent crime in Fremont, Calif. was up slightly between January and June 2013 versus the same period in 2012. While murder and aggravated assault were both down during this period (-50% and -25,39%, respectively), there were 12 rapes (3 in 2012) and 80 robberies (63 in 2012), accounting for the slight uptick in total violent crime.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +3.33%
Murder: -50%
Rape: +300%
Robbery: +26.98%
Aggravated Assault: -24.39%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF FREMONT’S 2012 RANKING

5. Scottsdale, Ariz.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Scottsdale, Ariz., #5 in the rankings of the Safest Cities, experienced a 27.52 percent increase in violent crime during January to June 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. Murder remained constant (2 cases each year) and robbery declined just under four percent (49 robberies versus 51 in 2012); however, there was a spike in rape (29 cases) and aggravated assault (110 cases) during the relevant time period.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +27.52%
Murder: +/-0%
Rape: +61.11%
Robbery: -3.92%
Aggravated Assault: +41.03%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF SCOTTSDALE’S 2012 RANKING

6. Henderson, Nev.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Nevada’s second-largest city, Henderson, experienced a 25 percent decline in violent crime in the first six months of 2013 as compared to the same period in 2012. The figures were down in each of the four violent crime categories, including a 54 percent decrease in rape (16 in 2013; 35 in 2012) and 27 percent fewer aggravated assaults (71 in 2013; 98 in 2012). The #5 Safest City had only two murders, compared with three during the period in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -25.45%
Murder: -33.33%
Rape: -54.29%
Robbery: -11.36%
Aggravated Assault: -27.55%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF HENDERSON’S 2012 RANKING

7. Virginia Beach, Va.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Virginia Beach, Va., the most populous city in the Commonwealth, had a very small increase in violent crime between January and June 2013 compared with prior year figures. This is likely due to a seemingly huge jump in rape cases, however the figures for that particular category in Virginia Beach are not comparable year over year due to the FBI’s expanded reporting criteria. The #7 Safest City had 23 fewer aggravated assaults, one less murder, and the same number of robberies during the period at hand.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +3.57%
Murder: -9.09%
Rape: +115.63%*
Robbery: +/-0%
Aggravated Assault: -13.86%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF VIRGINIA BEACH’S 2012 RANKING

8. Irving, Texas

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Irving, Texas, part of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex, held its violent crime rate steady for the first six months of 2013 versus 2012. The #8 Safest City held its murder rate constant with only one case during each period, and the city had fewer rapes and aggravated assaults than prior year. Robbery increase slightly with 84 instances in 2013 compared with 63 in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +/-0%
Murder: +/-0%
Rape: -6.25%
Robbery: +33.33%
Aggravated Assault: -11.56%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF IRVING’S  2012 RANKING

9. Garland, Texas

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Garland, the third Texas city to rank on this list, experienced a 16.55 percent decrease in violent crime between January and June 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, despite a slight uptick in rape reporting (30 versus 25). The city’s aggravated assault and robbery reported both decreased, down 21 and 29 instances, respectively, and there were three murders compared with four in 2012.

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: -16.55%
Murder: -25%
Rape: +20%
Robbery: -23.58%
Aggravated Assault: -16.67%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF GARLAND’S 2012 RANKING

10. Chula Vista, Calif.

PRELIMINARY 2013 UPDATE
Located just outside downtown San Diego, Chula Vista, California’s violent crime increased slightly in the first six months of 2013, from 283 to 298 instances in the four relevant categories. While there were three fewer murders than prior year, reporting of rape, robbery, and aggravated assault all increased (+3, +12, +3 cases year over year, respectively).

PRELIMINARY 2013 VIOLENT CRIME TRENDS
Data below reflects changes for period January to June 2013 versus same period in 2012.
Total Violent Crime: +5.30%
Murder: -60%
Rape: +18.75%
Robbery: +10.71%
Aggravated Assault: +2%

CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CHULA VISTA’S 2012 RANKING

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Chelsey Goff, Anneliese Mahoney, Ashley Powell, and Kevin Rizzo.

Sources:

Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics are from the FBI Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January – June 2013.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

*The figure shown for the 2013 rape offense was reported using the new definition of rape and is not comparable to previous years’ historical forcible rape data.

Note: A previous version of this post did not include data for Plano, Texas as it was not provided by the FBI in the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January-June 2013.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Latest FBI Data is Mixed Bag for Top 10 Safest Cities appeared first on Law Street.

Violent crime in the United States was down by 5.4 percent in the first six months of 2013, according to the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics published Tuesday.

The FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report compiles offenses recorded by law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to provide an overview of crime trends from the first six months of the year. According to the report, the 2013 statistics reveal decreases among all violent crime categories with the exception of rape, which has recently been redefined to include a wider range of offenses. The FBI’s definition of violent crime includes murder, aggravated assault, rape, and robbery.

The 2013 numbers indicate that the country has resumed its downward trend after a brief 1.9 percent increase was recorded in 2012. Violent crime in the United States has declined in the first six months of the year during the last five out of six years.

The Midwest experienced the largest change in violent crime in the beginning of 2013, with an overall drop of 7.4 percent. Of this change, the largest decrease was recorded in forcible rape, which went down by 14.3 percent under the old definition, followed by aggravated assault, which was down by 9.1 percent.

For a visualization of recent violent crime trends see our infographic.

Violent crime also decreased in each of the eight population groupings defined by the FBI, falling more than 9 percent in cities with less than 100,000 people. The number of murder in cities with 1,000,000 people or more also decreased dramatically by 18.5 percent. Among Law Street’s most dangerous cities over 200,000, half experienced violent crime declines. One of the most notable cases was St. Louis, which saw its violent crime go down by more than 20 percent in the first six months of the year. Oakland, Calif. on the other hand experienced a violent crime increase of 10 percent, which was primarily fueled by its 30.37 percent growth in robberies.

For more information on changes in specific cities see our article here.

In addition to violent crime, property crime also decreased in the first six months of last year, going down 5.4 percent as well. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The leading contributor to this decrease was burglary, which went down 8.1 percent. Although arson decreased by 15.6 percent and is considered a property crime, the FBI does not include these statistics in property crime totals.

The 2013 report also marks the first time that the FBI’s new definition of rape has been used by law enforcement to report offense totals. The updated definition removed the word “forcible” from the term and expanded the meaning to include any kind of penetration occurring without consent. The national changes indicated by the report do not yet use statistics according to the new definition because they cannot be compared with historic data; however, the new numbers are available for the individual cities that have started using the updated definition.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Latest Data Shows Violent Crime Across America is Down appeared first on Law Street.

On February 18, 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released preliminary crime statistics for the first six months of 2013. Today Law Street analyzes and brings important context and perspective to this raw data in order to bring you emerging trends. When the full-year data is published by the FBI in the fall, we will publish new coverage, including our annual Top 10 Safest and Most Dangerous Cities rankings. Please refer to Crime in America 2013 for the most recent definitive rankings and full-year coverage. Check back with Crime in America 2014 as we continue to dig into the emerging trends in crime across the country.

Preliminary 2013 Trends
Latest FBI Data is Mixed Bag for Top 10 Safest Cities
New FBI Data Shows Crime Dropping; Some Top 10 Dangerous Defy Trend
New FBI Data for Dangerous Mid-Sized Cities: Crime Drops, Flint Stands Out

Coverage
Crime Drops 20 Percent in St. Louis; Hot-Spot Policing Credited
Infographic: Crime Dropping Across the US
Latest Data Shows Violent Crime Across America is Down
Redefining Rape: The FBI’s Latest Statistics

Prior Year Coverage
Crime in America 2013

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime in America 2014 appeared first on Law Street.

In the United States, more than 80 percent of our citizens reside in cities and suburbs, and the safety of each varies greatly across the nation. Law Street Media’s Crime in America feature provides the first comprehensive look at the FBI’s current crime statistics for every American city with a population over 100,000 people. Take a look at the rankings and features below to discover how safe your city actually is. Check back regularly for continued reporting and additional features.

Top 10 Lists

Crime in America: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Crime in America: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

Crime in America: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000

Rankings & Charts

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000: By the Numbers

Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000: By the Numbers

Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000: By the Numbers

100 Most Dangerous American Cities Overall: Where Does Your Home Rank?

100 Safest American Cities Overall: Where Does Your Home Rank?

100 Safest American Cities Over 200,000: Where Does Your Home Rank?

Notes

Why We Rank: The Public’s Right to Know

Defining Rape:The FBI Takes Action

What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports

Methodology

Complete FBI Data

Uniform Crime Report, 2012

Uniform Crime Report, 2011

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kasandra Cisneros, Valeriya Metla, Asim Mian, and Kevin Rizzo.

Sources: FBI 2012 Uniform Crime Report, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime in America 2013 appeared first on Law Street.

Following is the full text of the FBI’s disclaimer about the use of its Uniform Crime Reports. The disclaimer appears here in its entirety.

Variables Affecting Crime

Each year when Crime in the United States is published, many entities—news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an interest in crime in our Nation—use reported figures to compile rankings of cities and counties. These rankings, however, are merely a quick choice made by the data user; they provide no insight into the many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction. Consequently, these rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their residents.

Consider Other Characteristics of a Jurisdiction

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. Several sources of information are available that may assist the responsible researcher in exploring the many variables that affect crime in a particular locale. The U.S. Census Bureau data, for example, can be used to better understand the makeup of a locale’s population. The transience of the population, its racial and ethnic makeup, its composition by age and gender, educational levels, and prevalent family structures are all key factors in assessing and comprehending the crime issue.

Local chambers of commerce, government agencies, planning offices, or similar entities provide information regarding the economic and cultural makeup of cities and counties. Understanding a jurisdiction’s industrial/economic base; its dependence upon neighboring jurisdictions; its transportation system; its economic dependence on nonresidents (such as tourists and convention attendees); its proximity to military installations, correctional facilities, etc., all contribute to accurately gauging and interpreting the crime known to and reported by law enforcement.

The strength (personnel and other resources) and the aggressiveness of a jurisdiction’s law enforcement agency are also key factors in understanding the nature and extent of crime occurring in that area. Although information pertaining to the number of sworn and civilian employees can be found in this publication, it cannot be used alone as an assessment of the emphasis that a community places on enforcing the law. For example, one city may report more crime than a comparable one, not because there is more crime, but rather because its law enforcement agency, through proactive efforts, identifies more offenses. Attitudes of the citizens toward crime and their crime reporting practices, especially concerning minor offenses, also have an impact on the volume of crimes known to police.

Make Valid Assessments of Crime

It is incumbent upon all data users to become as well educated as possible about how to understand and quantify the nature and extent of crime in the United States and in any of the more than 18,000 jurisdictions represented by law enforcement contributors to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the various unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction.

Historically, the causes and origins of crime have been the subjects of investigation by many disciplines. Some factors that are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are:

• Population density and degree of urbanization.
• Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration.
• Stability of the population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting patterns, and transient factors.
• Modes of transportation and highway system.
• Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability.
• Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics.
• Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness.
• Climate.
• Effective strength of law enforcement agencies.
• Administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement.
• Policies of other components of the criminal justice system (i.e., prosecutorial, judicial, correctional, and probational).
• Citizens’ attitudes toward crime.
• Crime reporting practices of the citizenry.

Crime in the United States provides a nationwide view of crime based on statistics contributed by local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies. Population size and student enrollment are the only correlates of crime presented in this publication. Although many of the listed factors equally affect the crime of a particular area, the UCR Program makes no attempt to relate them to the data presented. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, counties, metropolitan areas, states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis of their population coverage or student enrollment. Until data users examine all the variables that affect crime in a town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction, they can make no meaningful comparisons.

Uniform Crime Report Ranking Disclaimer is from the FBI.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post What the FBI Says About Its Uniform Crime Reports appeared first on Law Street.

Law Street’s Crime Team used the FBI’s four major violent crime categories – murders, aggravated assaults, robberies, and forcible rapes – to create a standard measure of violent-crimes-per-100,000 people among all cities reporting crime data to the FBI. This allows year-to-year and city-to-city comparisons. To derive the ratio, the total number of violent crimes reported to the FBI  is divided by the city’s population, with  the result then multiplied by 100,000. The formula for this calculation is shown below. Crime ratings were further broken down by population, with 200,000 used as the dividing point.

Violent Crime Rate = (Total Violent Crime in a City/City Population) x 100,000

Click here for all Law Street Crime data.

Click here to read more Crime in America coverage.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime Ranking Methodology appeared first on Law Street.