Murder on rise as crime rate drops

Published 9:00 pm Monday, December 15, 2003

WASHINGTON — Murders were up slightly nationwide during the first six months of the year, with gang violence contributing to more killings in some of the nation’s largest cities, the FBI reported Monday.

The number of murders rose 1.1 percent nationwide while overall violent crime declined 3.1 percent. New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia were among the cities with an increase in homicides.

The reasons for the increase vary by city, but experts said there clearly has been a resurgence in gang activity in some places.

"The question is, what are they fighting over?" said Kenneth Land, a Duke University sociology professor. "Is it retribution homicides, or turf wars over drugs, or is it protecting turf?"

The preliminary report, based on reports from state and local law enforcement agencies, does not include raw totals for categories of crimes, only percentages.

The six-month totals for 2003 marked the third consecutive time the FBI has recorded a decrease in overall violent crimes but an increase in murders.

Overall, there were 4.3 percent more murders in the Northeast during the first half of 2003 compared with last year. There also were slightly more homicides in the South and West, with only the Midwest showing a decrease (-1.9 percent).

Even with the national increase in murder, overall violent crime fell.

Aggravated assaults were down 4.4 percent, with forcible rapes dropping 4 percent and robberies less than 1 percent. Property crimes dropped by 0.8 percent compared with the year before, although motor vehicle thefts were up slightly at 0.9 percent. Other property crimes are burglary and larceny.

The drop in violent crime was most pronounced in rural areas, which saw a reduction of 5.7 percent.

Property crime rates changed very little in cities and suburbs in the first half of 2003, but rural counties experienced a 2.5 percent decrease.

There was a marked regional disparity in motor vehicle thefts, with all regions of the country showing a decrease from January to June except the West, where they rose by 7.2 percent.

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports for the first six months of the year are based on information collected from 9,908 state and local law enforcement agencies.

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