The number of violent crimes reported in San Diego during the first half of 2009 was slightly lower than the same period last year. That’s good news, but the city showed less of a decline than other big cities.
For statistical purposes, the FBI measures violent crime based on incidents of murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The agency released preliminary statistics Monday related to incidents occurring between January and June for cities with a population greater than 100,000.
The number of violent crime incidents reported in San Diego dropped by 2.6 percent from the same six-month period last year. The city already has one of the lowest rates of violent crime per capita of major U.S. cities.
But other cities are heading in this direction. Phoenix, San Francisco, Dallas, San Antonio and Jacksonville each reported declines in violent crime exceeding 10 percent from the previous year. Last year, New York and San Jose had the most comparable rate of violent crime per capita to San Diego. This year, each city reported violent crime falling by more than 7 percent.
For more information about trends in property crimes across major U.S. cities, check out this blog later today. To see the FBI’s full statistical reports, click here. To see more information on San Diego’s monthly crime statistics, click here.
— KEEGAN KYLE