June 7, 2007
FBI reports increase in violent crime
Augusta, Ga. – The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently released a nationwide report showing a 1.3 percent increase in violent crimes last year and a 2.9 percent decrease in property crimes. This is the second year in a row to see an upswing in violent crimes. In 2005, the increase was 2.3 percent over 2004’s numbers.
In the nation’s southern region, the report states that robberies were up 4.4 percent last year, and murders increased by 1.1 percent. Despite the increase in violent crimes, property crimes decreased 3.2 percent in the south. What does that mean for local citizens?
Augusta State University Criminal Justice Professor William A. Reese has studied these types of reports during his 18 years of teaching at ASU. Dr. Reese lectures on crime statistics during his criminology classes, and several years ago he even authored a guest opinion piece on the FBI’s yearly Uniform Crime Report in the Augusta Chronicle.
If you would like to pursue this topic, call Kristopher Wells, information specialist, in ASU’s Office of Public Relations and Publications, at 706-667-4821.
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