The Morning Report
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There were twice as many assaults at schools and colleges in 2004 compared to 2000, according to a report released by the FBI.
The report analyzes school crime using the National Incident-Based Reporting System, and breaks down data on ethnicity, gender, relationship, weapon type and other categories. It’s a just-the-facts report, with lots of data but little analysis.
Why, for instance, are we seeing more assaults in schools? Is school and college enrollment up nationwide, or has the school crime rate actually surged? And why is school-related crime highest in October?
“The report has inherent limitations,” wrote Darrell Foxworth, the FBI’s San Diego spokesperson. “… It should not be assumed that the volume of criminal incidents in the nation actually increased” along with the crimes recorded in the NIBRS, for instance.