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You are here: Home / Don’t you know the crime rate’s going up up up up up?

Don’t you know the crime rate’s going up up up up up?

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The Obama crime wave continues (via):

Violent crime in the United States continues to drop significantly despite the difficult economic environment, according to new statistics released Friday by the Justice Department.

According to the Crime Victimization Survey released annually by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2010 violent crimes dropped about 13% among U.S. residents ages 12 or older.

I’m sure polls will show that people think the opposite.

Reader Interactions

76Comments

  1. 1.

    Mino

    A)Our population is too old to get in trouble.
    Or
    B)We have them all locked up, so we’re OK until we can’t affort $40,00+ a year to lock them up.

  2. 2.

    Xenos

    For two years the odious, odious drudgereport has been reporting a very bogus wave of black-on-white violent crime. I noticed some trolls picking up on this over the last few weeks, in response to the reported incidents at the Wisconsin State Fair.

    Has there been any reporting on this drudged up non-issue?

  3. 3.

    capt

    So crime is up?

    (we are living in bass ackwards world where radicals are conservative and patriots want to destroy the country)

    :)

  4. 4.

    Mino

    And why isn’t white-collar economic crime included in those statistics. That sure as hell would skew the numbers.

  6. 6.

    cmorenc

    What doesn’t seem to change very much is the relative composition of arrested perps (or their ahem…general sort of appearance) in various metro areas. For example, see the array of recent arrests/mug photos for Wake/Durham Counties, NC: (Raleigh/Durham area)

    There’s also the tabloid print/television media to fan awareness of sensational crimes, e.g. the nauseous Nancy Grace.

  8. 8.

    Tim

    And guns continue to sell well. There are more guns than ever in the hands of private citizens. 49 states allow concealed carry in some form or another now. (Wisconsin being the latest.)

    Crime rates, a function of the availability of guns or the availability of criminals?

  10. 10.

    Keith

    I’m sure polls will show that people think the opposite.

    Well, yeah, especially when Drudge – the nexus of obscure stories-gone-mainstream – posts headlines of “packs” of minorities attacking white people seemingly on a regular basis.

  13. 13.

    sparky

    a bit of whistling past the graveyard, perhaps–

    1. violent felonies are on the rise, significantly, in NYC.

    2. also, too, this:

    New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned yesterday if the national jobs crisis doesn’t end soon, the United States would see riots in the streets. “We have a lot of kids graduating college, can’t find jobs,” Bloomberg said on his radio show. “That’s what happened in Cairo. That’s what happened in Madrid. You don’t want those kinds of riots here.”

    personally, i rather doubt this given the american public’s apparent happiness with a boot on its neck, but sometimes a spark sets off a conflagration.

  17. 17.

    MonkeyBoy

    I am often amused by righttards who will counter such crime info by emphasizing the crime caused by illegal immigrants.

    However the serious crime rate among illegals is much less than citizens, mainly because illegals know to not do things that would get them noticed and deported.

    This point is then pivoted how to entering the US or using a fake SSN is a crime, all illegals are criminals, and theft, murder, and rape is the propensity of known criminals.

  19. 19.

    mk3872

    Of course, I mean, without executing every 10th prisoner, like they do in Texas, the crime rate is DEFINITELY going to go up!

  23. 23.

    OzoneR

    @sparky:

    violent felonies are on the rise, significantly, in NYC.

    no they’re actually not, they’re down in most parts of the city, it just so happens that there’s been a string of high profile violent crimes in recent weeks.

  25. 25.

    A Mom Anon

    Sigh. Our media sucks. If you went by what you see on the local news alone, you’d be scared to walk to the end of the driveway to get the mail. Which I suppose is part of the idea,keep people scared of each other.

    I’d love to see someone do those same sorts of studies on white collar crime. Of course half the shit these fucks do anymore is legal thanks to a bought and paid for legislative branch so I don’t know if it would matter really.

    It’s hard not to get discouraged sometimes.

  31. 31.

    PurpleGirl

    @cmorenc:

    There’s also the tabloid print/television media to fan awareness of sensational crimes, e.g. the nauseous Nancy Grace.

    I agree that she and others like her are obnoxious but I think it also partially because of all the true crime shows on cable TV. She is on a news channel. But there are channels that are devoted to true crime 24/7/365 and even National Geographic has crime shows. Hour-long shows on murders, shows about criminals almost getting away with a crime, border/drug wars, women behind bars, women murderers, people with spouses in prison, gangs, on and on and on. Of course it seems like crime is up.

  35. 35.

    mechanical jacobin

    What’s interesting about that graph is that when the crime rate was falling during the 90s, the public recognized that trend, presumably because people actually felt safer (and more economically secure). Then we hit 2001. The crime rate has kept falling since then, but after 9/11 we only seem capable of becoming more scared.

  36. 36.

    Loneoak

    Does anyone stream sports via dubious channels? Got recommendations for where I might find the Packers game online?

    Goddamned Bay Area football. I hate you.

  38. 38.

    tomvox1

    @Mino:

    Probably because white collar crime is not considered a moral failing by the David Brookses/Ross Douthats of the world.
    For example, per their worldview I’m sure this UBS rogue trader was just a rugged Galtian individualist who despised the government but made one or two poor decisions on his way to siphoning 2.3 billion from the company. No true sin there, right Bobo/Chunky Bobo? Not at all like the sin of expecting the government to protect us from destitution or anything…

  39. 39.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Loneoak: Id did it once last year during an outage at the Madison Fox affiliate. It worked reasonable well. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I found the link. Check the Packers.com site, they might have something.

    ETA: Checkout this and see if any of it works.

  40. 40.

    Mino

    @tomvox1: And when a (person) bank steals a home, totally not the same as a thief, who steals the silver. If you’re a made-up person, how can you go to jail?

    Rob them with a pencil, not a gun, and you never get in trouble.

  41. 41.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Loneoak: I tried to link a thread at a packer fansite for you, but it got moderatededed.

    Look up PackerChatters dot com and do a search with your question.

  43. 43.

    Mike in NC

    I’m sure polls FOX News will show that people think the opposite.

    Fixed.

    Clearly what this country REALLY needs are more guns, more cops, and more prisons.

  44. 44.

    YellowJournalism

    I’ve heard this excuse on the radio and in conversations with wingnuts and the perpetually scared: The crime rate appears to have gone down because people are too scared to report it.

    I’ve also heard the excuse that the overall population boom due to all the illegals screws with the numbers. That one made my jaw drop.

  45. 45.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @YellowJournalism: Okay, per this view, why are people to scared to report it? They live in neighborhoods where retaliation will happen? The cops are corrupt? Obama did something? Sun spots?

  49. 49.

    Mino

    @OzoneR: Unless you have insurance, a lot of folks don’t report burglaries here in SA.
    The police will tell you that unless your stuff is tagged, it will be at the next fleamarket and cops can’t do squat.

  50. 50.

    Citizen_X

    @YellowJournalism:

    I’ve heard this excuse on the radio and in conversations with wingnuts and the perpetually scared: The crime rate appears to have gone down because people are too scared to report it.

    Then…by what magical means do they know that it’s actually gone up?

  51. 51.

    YellowJournalism

    Omnes: Retaliation seems to be the favorite reasoning. It’s usually accompanied with some vile discussion about black/Asian/Latino gangs terrorizing middle class neighborhoods. Corrupt or inept cops are the second favorite reason. I think sun spots would make more sense.

  52. 52.

    RinaX

    @PurpleGirl:

    I’m an admitted addict of many of the shows on Investigation Discovery, Snapped on Oxygen, and still curse TruTV from turning from true crime to the 24/7 pawn shows that that seem to show now, and I’ve always recognized that crime definitely isn’t on the level that I’d expect it to be, considering that many in my community have definitely been hit hard by this recession. Then again, I grew up in a high-crime area in the 90’s when shit was really popping off. Also, many of these shows seem to favor white men/women killing their spouses/lovers/children, particularly rich ones, so it’s not like they’re promoting this “OMG the OTHERS are coming for your womenz!” mentality, more “People can be fucked up sometimes, amirite?”.

    I’d slit my own throat before ever watching Nancy Grace or her ilk voluntarily, though. Hell with that.

  54. 54.

    Northeast Elizabeth

    Tough drug laws, stiff mandatory sentences, zealous local law enforcement, plenty of Republican governors, the fact that Obama WASN’T allowed to push for gun control — of course crime is down. Under President Perry, the rate will go to 0%.

  55. 55.

    Southern Beale

    I’m sure polls will show that people think the opposite.

    I’m sure some right wing blogger will say the Obama government has changed how the statistics are calculated or some such nonsense.

  56. 56.

    Argive

    Honestly, I think it’s fascinating that the over-incarceration in this country has gotten so bad that even hardcore douchelords like Bill Bennett and Grover Norquist have started to speak up about it. I always thought it was fascinating that conservatives always loved to talk about not spending money if it didn’t produce an effective result, but at the same time had no problem whatsoever with shoehorning non-violent offenders into jail on 2 year mandatory minimums. Now, while I do think that the Right on Crime movement is great, I still won’t trust these bastards until they flat out admit that it is morally wrong to do shit like incarcerate a 14 year old kid for simple assault.

    @Southern Beale:

    HAVEN’T YOU SEEN TEH WIRE ALL THOSE NUMBERS ARE FAKE LALALALALALALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU

  58. 58.

    PurpleGirl

    @RinaX: I watch some of those shows too. But then you have the ones on border/drug wars, gangs and inside prisons that I think really play of people’s fears. YMMV

  59. 59.

    Short Bus Bully

    There is a black man in the White House, therefore the crime rate must go up.

    The crime rate is going down.

    does.not.compute.

    /wingnut

  60. 60.

    Kelly

    Here in Canada our Conservative government is building new penitentiaries. While our crime rate is falling, they say that “unreported” crime is on the increase. Apparently we need more room to house these “unreported” criminals.

  61. 61.

    Nutella

    Speaking of Obama:

    President Obama on Monday will call for a new minimum tax rate for individuals making more than $1 million a year to ensure that they pay at least the same percentage of their earnings as middle-income taxpayers, according to administration officials.

    It won’t pass this congress but it’s a good way to emphasize the point that Warren Buffet pays a lower tax percent on his income than his secretary does.

    via Steve M

  62. 62.

    Chris

    Another case of what the American people “know” and what reality says not measuring up quite the way the American people expect.

    @MonkeyBoy:

    However the serious crime rate among illegals is much less than citizens, mainly because illegals know to not do things that would get them noticed and deported.

    How about that…

  63. 63.

    AA+ Bonds

    Somewhat related: expect to see an escalation of the narrative that labor unions are violent criminal gangs. Get out in front of it; start talking up unions now.

  65. 65.

    Chris

    @mechanical jacobin:

    What’s interesting about that graph is that when the crime rate was falling during the 90s, the public recognized that trend, presumably because people actually felt safer (and more economically secure). Then we hit 2001. The crime rate has kept falling since then, but after 9/11 we only seem capable of becoming more scared.

    The crime rate falling the 1990s coincided with the economy getting better, and the U.S. becoming the undisputed Master Of The World post-Soviet collapse (or so we thought). Things were looking up all over.

    Whereas the 2000s coincided with things going down the drain both economically and in terms of foreign policy. Actual crime may not be back, but the feeling of insecurity and the notion that society’s falling apart is. It makes sense that scared people would project that sentiment even onto the things that are still working. “Well, America’s going to hell in a handbasket, crime must be going up.”

  66. 66.

    OzoneR

    @Nutella:

    It won’t pass this congress but it’s a good way to emphasize the point that Warren Buffet pays a lower tax percent on his income than his secretary does.

    A message that will be completely lost when the left bitches “it’s just words, not actions”

  68. 68.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @Chris:

    Thing is, the violent crime rate started going down steadily in the mid-’80s. The rise and fall of the violent crime track almost exactly with the baby boomers passing through the age group where people are most likely to commit crimes. Thing is, it hasn’t tracked the same way with gen x and gen y- we committed crimes at a much lower rate.

  69. 69.

    mclaren

    There’s now a roiling debate among sociologists and law enforcement people as to exactly why the crime rate has plummeted in America. But there’s no question it has, and there’s absolutely no question whatsoever that the crime rate started plunging precipitously in the early 1990s. Moreover, the crime rate has dropped even faster in just the last few years.

    See America’s serious crime rate is plunging, but why?

    Also see Explaining the American and Canadian crime drop in the 1990s.

    The fact that the crime rate has dropped in both Canada and the U.S. makes it especially puzzling. If it were just America, you might be able to come up with some explanation involving American social policy or gun policy or crime policy. But Canada has a radically different social safety net, vastly more restrictive gun policy, and a very different crime policy…yet we see the same drastic drop in crime in Canada that we see in America.

  70. 70.

    RinaX

    @PurpleGirl:

    Oh, well, I don’t watch the jail or gang shows. They depress me vs sending me into a panic about crime in general, so I guess you do have to be wired to fear the OTHERS coming for you to let them have that sort of effect.

  72. 72.

    gocart mozart

    @Dr. Psycho:
    This. He put the cost of the wars on the books his first day in office and poof! a wingnut talking point was born “Obama doubled our deficit. OMG trillion dollar deficits.” Honesty pfft. What the hell was he thinking?

  74. 74.

    Triassic Sands

    I’m sure polls will show that people think the opposite.

    More likely, polls will show that people don’t think (American people, anyway).

  76. 76.

    anthony

    According to the statistics the crime rate has been on the decline but nobody mentions the differences that still exist when it comes to particular types of crime. For example, Toronto is usually described as a safe city to live in and it is true that the the overall crime rate in the GTA has been on the decline in the last few years. However, there are still differences when it comes to particular types of break-ins (apartment break-ins and break-ins to houses). According to the statistics the number of house break-ins increased between 2008 and 2009 in our city which is a clear signal that the increase or decrease in the crime rate can hardly be generalized.

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