FBI says the violent crime rate in the United States is down for the third year in a row

FBI says violent crime rate down again

WASHINGTON — The violent crime rate in the United States went down in 2009 for the third year in a row and the property crime rate fell for the seventh consecutive year, the FBI reported Monday.

The decline last year amounted to 5.5 percent for violent crime compared to 2008 and the rate for property crime was down 4.9 percent.

The FBI collected the crime data from more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies around the country.

According to the numbers, all four categories of violent crime declined compared to 2008 — robbery, murder, aggravated assault and forcible rape.

Violent crime declined 4 percent in metropolitan counties and 3 percent elsewhere, the FBI reported.

Nationwide, the murder rate was down 7.2 percent last year.

The largest decrease in murders — 7.5 percent — took place in cities of half a million to a million in population. The only increase in murders — 5.3 percent — occurred in cities with 25,000 to 50,000 people.

Robbery dropped 8.1 percent, aggravated assault declined 4.2 percent and forcible rape was down 3.1 percent.

The numbers are preliminary. They will be updated later this year.

Online: www.fbi.gov/ucr/prelimsem2009/index.html