Serious Crime in America Drops

December 17, 2001, 08:45 AM

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By AP Staff

WASHINGTON -- Serious crimes reported to police fell in the first six months of 2001, but murders and robberies were up slightly, the FBI reported Monday.

The overall crime rate -- the number of incidents per 100,000 residents -- fell 0.3 percent from January through June 2001 when compared to the same period in 2000.

Violent crimes declined 1.3 percent in January through June 2001 from the same period in 2000. Property crimes fell 0.2 percent, the FBI said.

The small declines suggested the steep drop in violent crimes over the past decade may be leveling off.

Another sign: Murders were up by 0.3 percent in the first half of the year, compared to the year-earlier period, and robberies rose 0.8 percent.

Last year murders fell 1.1 percent compared with the previous year and robberies dropped 0.7 percent.

Not every region had fewer crimes in the first six months of this year.

Crime fell 4 percent in the Northeast and nearly 2 percent in the Midwest but rose 1.6 percent in the West and 0.8 percent in the South.

The FBI crime report is based on data reported voluntarily from 17,000 local and state law enforcement agencies representing 94 percent of the U.S. population.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)