Crime figures continue downward trend in 2010

Washington – FBI figures released Monday showed a 5.5% drop in violent crimes and a 2.8% decrease in property crimes compared to 2009. It's all part of a national trend that began in the early part of the new millenium.

Violent crime has continued to decrease since 2005, the last year in which tabulations showed any increase in such crimes as murder, manslaughter, forcible rape and assault. Property crimes such as burglary, vandalism, arson and car theft last showed an increase in 2002. Motor vehicle theft showed the largest decline in 2010 – down 7.2%.

Criminologists are calling the decline in crime remarkable. Statisticians and demogaphers are calling it predictable due to the aging of the baby boomer generation.

More than 13,000 law enforcement agencies contributed to the survey, which showed the safest place to be is in a city with a population less than 10,000. In the nation's smallest cities, violent crimes against persons decreased by 25.2%.

Nationwide, the only category in which violent crime rose was murder in cities of 250,000 to 500,000. While crime in the midwest and southwest declined, the only region that showed a modest decrease was the northeast with a .04% downturn. Decreases in the south - 7.5% - the midwest - 5.9% - and the west - 5.8% - were more dramatic.