The other day James Magazine Online reported on a Federal Bureau of Investigation report saying that in Atlanta homicides decreased by 21 percent last year, whereas across the country murders declined by 12 percent.
While Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has made public safety a top priority and is a staunch proponent of a state-of-the-art police and emergency responder training facility currently under construction, the FBI figures must be questioned.
It must be emphasized that, when the Biden-Harris administration took office, the FBI changed how it collects crime data. As a result, they’re missing data from nearly a third of the nation’s law enforcement agencies — including from many of the most violent cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and New Orleans. James Magazine Online is trying to ascertain if Atlanta is also among those cities.
Here’s the bottom line: A far more accurate picture emerges using data from the DOJ’s National Crime Victimization Survey, which shows crime rates have risen during the Biden-Harris years.
Jeffrey H. Anderson, writing in the September 23rd Wall Street Journal, once served as director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. He documents that violent crime went up since 2020. Quite an embarrassing contrast when it comes to the FBI’s reports. Consider what Anderson reports:
- FACT: Violent crime is up 37% between 2020 and last year.
- Rape is up 42%.
- Robbery is up 63%.
- Assault is up 34%.
- Violent crime (excluding simple assault) is up 55%.
- Domestic violence is up 32%.
- Stranger violence is up 61%.
- Violent crime (with an injury) is up 10%.
- Violent crime (with a weapon) is up 56%.
- Motor vehicle theft is up 42%.
- FACT: The total number of violent crimes reported last year is higher than any year under Donald Trump’s presidency.
- FACT: Kamala Harris has overseen the two highest years for total Americans victimized by violent crime since 2012.
- FACT: Harris and Biden have presided over three of the four most murderous years in the last quarter century.
- FACT: In most cities, murder rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
A final note that Anderson emphasizes: The NCVS captures crimes whether they are reported to the police or not.
In the 2023 NCVS, crime victims conveyed that a majority— 53% of violent victimizations– weren’t reported to the police, while 70 percent of property crime victimizations weren’t reported. The FBI publishes data only on crimes reported to the police, which means it doesn’t capture most crimes. A sobering thought for Atlanta residents.
