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Study: Big-City Murder Up 10% Since 2004

The murder rates in dozens of the largest U.S. cities have gone up 10 percent since 1994, according to a study. This may mark the end of the lull in violent crime.

Robberies and felony assaults with guns have also gone up, found the study released by the Police Executive Research Forum, a law enforcement think tank based in Washington.

The FBI has found a similar rise in crime since 2004. According to the Justice Department, crime was at a historical low that year.

“Two years’ worth of double-digit increases in violent crime demonstrates an unmistakable change in the extent and nature of crime in America,” said executive director of the non-profit think tank, Chick Wexler. The Police Executive Research Forum receives its funding from the Justice Department, private foundations and corporations.

“There are those that say this is a statistical blip, an aberration,” said Wexler. “After two years, this is no aberration.”

The Study

The report looked at crime in 56 of the larger metropolitan areas in the United States including Chicago, Dallas, Washington, and Los Angeles. One notable exclusion from the list was New York, which did not participate in the voluntary survey.

The report, titled “Violent Crime in America: 24 Months of Alarming Trends,” is scheduled to be released to the public soon.

The report looked at statistics from the 24 months starting January 1, 2004.

Additional Results

·    71 percent of surveyed police departments saw a homicide increase
·    There was a 10.2 percent increase in murders
·    75 percent of surveyed police departments saw an increase in robberies
·    Robberies went up six percent each year for a total of 12 percent
·    Gun assaults went up nearly 10 percent

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