(TheRedAlertNews.com) – In what seems like an ill-advised attempt to use statistics to the favor of the Biden administration, new FBI data alleges that crime declined in 2023 – though critics note the conclusion is based on incomplete information gathering.
The latest federal stats show that in 2023, the United States experienced a notable decrease in criminal activities: a 13% reduction in murders, alongside decreases in both violent crimes and property-related offenses.
Specifically, the FBI’s data indicated a 5% decline in instances of robbery and aggravated assault from the previous year, and an overall 6% drop in violent crimes.
The Guardian, a pro-left news outlet, points out, however, that this data is derived from reports submitted by only 79% of law enforcement agencies across the country.
This incomplete data collection has led experts to caution against fully relying on these figures, describing them as “patchy” due to inconsistencies in how local agencies report their data.
Furthermore, these statistics have not undergone an audit, as the FBI does not plan to publish its official report and analysis on 2023’s crime rates until October.
The topic of crime has been thrust into the spotlight by Republicans as a key issue in the upcoming presidential election, the report notes.
Presumed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, in particular, has frequently discussed the subjects of murder and violent crime during his campaign rallies, and there have been assertions from the Republican side about a surge in crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
“In May 2021, the justice department launched our violent crime reduction strategy aimed at addressing the spike in violent crime that occurred during the pandemic. Since then, our prosecutors, agents, and grantmaking experts have worked in close partnership with police departments and communities across the country,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
The data in question stems from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which gathers crime statistics from local law enforcement agencies on a voluntary basis.
This means not all crime reports are captured, leading to a gap in the data.
Experts often argue that crime levels can vary for reasons that are not immediately apparent and are not always significantly affected by government policies or interventions in the short term.
The FBI stated that the figures released are based on data collected from 15,199 out of 19,152 law enforcement agencies.
“You miss the full story when you have incomplete and patchy data,” Insha Rahman of the Vera Institute of Justice, has told the news outlet.
Copyright 2024, TheRedAlertNews.com
