FBI reports U.S. crime drop, fewer murders in 1996
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Release at 6 p.m. EDT
By James Vicini
WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuter) - The U.S. crime rate fell in
1996 for the fifth year in a row as murders dropped 11 percent from the 21,600
killings in
1995 and violent crimes showed the biggest decline since
1961, the FBI reported Sunday. The federal law enforcement agency said murders
registered
the greatest decline of the various offenses that make up
the violent crime category.
In New York City, the number of murders fell to 986 last
year from 1,177 in 1995; Chicago had 789 homicides, a decrease from 824; Los
Angeles had
709 murders, down from 849, and Detroit had 428 murders, 47
fewer than in 1995. Washington was one of the few big cities to report a
sizable increase
in murders, with 397 homicides in 1996, up from 361 in 1995.
President Clinton sought to claim credit for the latest crime rate reduction.
``We have a comprehensive anti-crime plan, and it is
working. More community police, tougher punishments and fewer guns in the hands
of criminals
are making a difference,'' he said in a statement.
Attorney General Janet Reno hailed the numbers as the
largest drop in violent crime since 1961, when the FBI began releasing
statistics for the 50 states.
``Violent crime has fallen for several years, but we cannot
let up,'' she said. Acting Deputy Attorney General Seth Waxman partly
attributed the decline in
crime to the government's efforts to increase community
policing.
He told reporters at the Justice Department the decrease
also has occurred during the same time the number of prisoners has increased
sharply.
``I think there are some reasons to believe that as we get
smarter, more aggressive and more capable with respect to detecting,
prosecuting and punishing
serious criminal violations, the incidence of criminal
activity goes down,'' he said.
The FBI said violent crimes declined 7 percent last year
while so-called property crimes showed a 3 percent decrease. The total number
of serious crimes
reported to the police nationwide last year fell 3 percent.
For other violent crimes besides murder, the number of
robberies decreased by 8 percent last year, aggravated assault went down 6
percent and rapes fell
by 3 percent. For property crimes, burglary and motor
vehicle theft showed a 5 percent decrease, followed by a 2 percent fall
in larcenies. The number of arsons was unchanged last year.
The FBI said cities in all population groups reported declines in serious
crime.
The largest decease of 6 percent occurred in big cities with
more a million people. Rural areas reported a 3 percent decline while suburban
counties
registered a 2 percent drop. Regionally, the West had an 8
percent decrease in serious crime, followed by the Northeast at 7 percent and
the Midwest at 2
percent. The South, however, had a 2 percent increase from
the 1995 total.
The FBI's preliminary numbers were based on crimes reported
to 16,000 police agencies across the country. Final figures will be released
later in the
year.
REUTER