Violent crime rates dropping for the fourth straight year received heavy broadcast/print coverage yesterday --- with apparently few editors or writers raising eyebrows, notes Grumpy Editor.
Key word in the information from the FBI is reported as with crimes reported to authorities. Many victims, for various reasons, fail to file crime reports.
Estimated also appears in released material.
Nationwide, an estimated 1.2 million violent crimes and an estimated nine million property crimes occurred in 2010, reports Associated Press.
The decline, say criminologists, is attributed to an aging population, better policing and continued high rates of imprisonment for criminals, adds AP.
This runs counter to other news stories that cross editors desks during the year that point to jobless younger people in troubled economic times turning to crimes, slimmer budgets with freezes or cuts to police departments, and closing of prisons along with early release of inmates in efforts to reduce costs in a down economy.
Robust gang activity is keeping many police departments busy and away from other investigations.
Most television stations’ news programs often air shooting stories first. “If it bleeds, it leads,” is the cry of TV news editors.
Thus, it’s difficult for many Americans to agree with headlines such as: “Crime rates continue decline in U.S. despite high unemployment.”
Meanwhile, not mentioned in the latest crime tally stories are lesser offenses --- from identify theft to imposter scams --- directed at consumers.
The Federal Trade Commission places identity theft at the top of the list of consumer complaints, accounting for 250,854 out of 1,339,265 complaints filed last year. Never-ending various scams not only are multiplying, but are being aimed at seasoned investors, too.
Many of these also go unreported to authorities.
It's very curious that crime is down despite the fact that the economy is in the toilet.
http://lawblog.legalmatch.com/2011/09/21/violent-crime-declining-2/
Posted by: LegalMatch Blogging | September 21, 2011 at 03:34 PM