Preliminary figures indicate that, as a whole, law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation reported an increase of 3.7 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention in the first half of 2006 when compared to figures reported for the first six months of 2005. The violent crime category includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The number of property crimes in the United States from January to June of 2006 decreased 2.6 percent when compared to data from the same time period in 2005. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson is also a property crime, but data for arson are not included in property crime totals. Figures for 2006 indicate that arson increased 6.8 percent in the first half of the year when compared to 2005 figures for the same time period.
The data presented in Tables 1 and 2 indicate the percent change in offenses known to law enforcement for 2005 and 2006 by population group and geographic region, respectively. Table 3 reflects the percent change within the Nation for consecutive years (each year compared to the prior year). Table 4 presents the number of offenses known to law enforcement for agencies having a resident population of 100,000 and over and providing 6 months of complete data for 2006. In addition, Table 4 presents 2005 data for the first half of the year, where available, as a point of comparison. All data in this report are preliminary.
Report issued by Robert S. Mueller III, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, |
Advisory: Criminal Justice Information Systems Committee, International Association of Chiefs of Police; Criminal Justice Information Services Committee, National Sheriffs' Association; Criminal Justice Information Services Advisory Policy Board |