FBI: Violent Crime Rate Dropped (Slightly) in 2017

Rates of violent and property crime dropped slightly between 2016 and 2017, according to annual crime data released Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Violent crimes dropped 0.2 percent overall, which included a 0.7 percent decrease in murders and a 1 percent increase in aggravated assaults. The FBI could not provide a rate change for instances of rape because the agency recently updated its definition for the crime, but noted that 135,755 rapes were reported in 2017. The FBI reported slightly larger declines in property crime, including a 3 percent overall dip that included both a 7.6 percent decrease in burglaries and a 2.2 percent decrease in larceny-thefts.