WASHINGTON – The nation’s crime rate was unchanged last year, holding at the lowest levels since the government began surveying crime victims in 1973, the Justice Department reported Sunday.
Since 1993, violent crime as measured by victim surveys has fallen by 57 percent and property crime by 50 percent. That has included a 9 percent drop in violent crime from 2001-2002 to 2003-2004.
The 2004 violent crime rate – assault, sexual assault and armed robbery – was 21.4 victims for every 1,000 people age 12 and older. That amounts to about one violent crime victim for every 47 U.S. residents.
By comparison, there were 22.6 violent crime victims per 1,000 people in 2003. The Bureau of Justice Statistics said the difference between the rates in 2003 and 2004 was statistically insignificant.
The survey put the rate for property crimes of burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft in 2004 at 161 for every 1,000 people, compared with 163 the year before. The West had the highest property crime rate in 2004 (204 crimes per 1,000 households), while renters were victims more often than homeowners (201 crimes versus 143 crimes per 1,000).
Vice president leaves hospital
Vice President Dick Cheney walked slowly out of the hospital Sunday, one day after surgery to repair aneurysms on the back of both his knees. Cheney emerged from George Washington University Hospital in the late morning with his wife, Lynne, at his side. He shook hands with doctors and then walked to his motorcade without any assistance, although he moved slower than his normally brisk pace. His spokesman said Cheney, 64, planned to work from home today.
Maine: Earthquake measures 3.4
A minor earthquake shook a small region in northern Maine, officials said. There were no reports of injuries or damage from the 3.4 magnitude quake Saturday night. The preliminary epicenter was about three miles from Ayers Junction.
Puerto Rico: FBI shooting criticized
An autopsy indicated a Puerto Rican nationalist killed in a shootout with FBI agents did not die immediately, a justice official said Sunday, fueling criticism of the FBI for waiting almost 24 hours to enter the farmhouse where the fugitive lay wounded. Filiberto Ojeda Rios, 72, who was wanted for a 1983 robbery of an armored truck in Connecticut, fired on agents who came to arrest him Friday at farmhouse in Hormigueros, the FBI said Saturday. The agents waited until the next day to enter the farmhouse because they were unsure if explosives were inside, an FBI official said Saturday.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
