The FBI annual crime report, released on Monday, brings mixed news regarding crime trends in the United States. While violent crime dropped last year, almost returning to pre-pandemic levels, property crimes increased substantially. It’s worth noting that the report comes with a caveat as some law enforcement agencies did not provide data. However, improved data collection methods for compiling 2022 statistics have been instrumental in covering 83.3% of all agencies, encompassing 93.5% of the population, compared to 2021’s numbers from only 62.7% of agencies representing 64.8% of Americans.
Violent crime saw a 1.7% decrease in 2022, featuring a notable 6.1% drop in murders and non-negligent manslaughter. Rape decreased by 5.4%, and aggravated assault fell by 1.1%. However, robbery increased by 1.3%. This decline in violent crime is seen as a return to normalcy following the significant disruptions caused by the pandemic in 2020, when the murder rate surged by 29%.
The violent crime rate in 2022 was recorded at 380.7 incidents per 100,000 people, marginally better than 2019’s rate of 380.8 per 100,000, just before the onset of the pandemic.
Richard Rosenfeld, an emeritus criminal justice professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, attributes the reduction in violence to the waning of the stresses and strains brought about by the pandemic. He suggests that the decrease signifies a return to a state of affairs more resembling normalcy.
In stark contrast, property crimes experienced a significant upswing, surging by 7.1%. Motor vehicle thefts recorded the most substantial increase at 10.9%, with carjackings rising by 8.1% in 2022. Notably, the majority of carjackings involved assailants armed with weapons, and more than a quarter of carjackings resulted in injuries.
Rachael Eisenberg, Managing Director of Rights and Justice for the Center for American Progress, mentioned that while the FBI’s report focused on 2022 data, more recent statistics suggest that the decline in violent crime will continue into the current year.
These findings align with a July report from the Council on Criminal Justice, which indicated a 9.4% drop in murders during the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, but a significant 33.5% increase in vehicle thefts.
It’s important to note that the FBI’s report in 2021 came with substantial caveats, as nearly 40% of policing agencies did not participate, including major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. This followed a major overhaul in the reporting system. In contrast, the 2022 report incorporates data voluntarily collected from agencies using the newer National Incident-Based Reporting System, as well as data from agencies still using the older Summary Reporting System, contributing to a notable increase in participating agencies.
Although violent crime remains significantly lower than the historic highs of the 1990s, the pandemic’s impact persists, indirectly contributing to crime. The shift towards remote work during the pandemic led to desolate city streets, potentially making crime more likely due to fewer people present to act as deterrents.
Gun violence is another concerning trend, with the report indicating a 6.6% decrease in adult victims of fatal gun violence but an 11.8% increase in estimated juvenile victims. Advocates for gun safety have criticized the loosening of gun laws, particularly in conservative-leaning states across the U.S.
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Assaults on law enforcement officers rose by 1.8% compared to 2021, with approximately 31,400 of the 102,100 assaults resulting in injuries in 2022, marking a 1.7% increase from the previous year.