ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 6, 1997 TAG: 9701060127
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
Paced by a falling rate in the largest cities, violent crime continued to drop in much of the nation in the first half of last year, the FBI reports. Murder was down by 7 percent, while robbery and aggravated assault both fell 5 percent.
President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno both noted that this was the fifth year of lowered crime and the longest period of declining crime rates since 1969.
The statistics, in an FBI report scheduled for release today, showed a 3 percent overall decrease nationwide in reported serious crime during the first six months of 1996. Burglaries dropped by 5 percent; motor vehicle theft, 4 percent; and larceny-theft, 1 percent. Arson was the only offense to show an increase - 2 percent.
Eight cities with populations of more than 1 million boasted a 6 percent drop in serious crimes over the same period in 1995. There was no change for cities of a half-million to 1 million population.
``Policing is getting smarter, but that is not the main reason,'' said Dennis Nowicki, chief of the Charlotte, N.C., Police Department. ``The community is beginning to pay more attention and getting involved, dealing with crime at the neighborhood level.''
The FBI's figures showed New York City with 507 murders in the first six months last year; there were 574 during the same period of 1995. The city's own count, covering all of 1996, showed murders dipping below 1,000 for the first time since 1968, with 983. There were 2,245 slayings in 1990.
The FBI tracks trends in a ``crime index,'' which includes murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny theft, car theft and arson. It showed an 8 percent drop in the index in the West, 7 percent in the Northeast and 2 percent in the Midwest.
The South, however, had a 3 percent increase in reported crime because of rises in property crimes, while murder and rape decreased.
Some said the maturing of the crack cocaine market has contributed to the reduction in crime.
``Markets have stabilized; they have become more sophisticated with less competition.'' said Eric Sterling of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation. As a result, he said, there are fewer attempts at robbing drug dealers and fewer homicides.
Sterling said the aging of the population also has an effect: ``The number of young men in the violent crime-committing years is low.''
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB