Daily news blog for Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood

 

FBI says violent and property crimes are down nationwide, but on the rise in Seattle

December 29th, 2009 · 88 Comments

A recent FBI report released the national and local crime statistics for first half of 2009, January to June, and compared to the 2008 numbers it looks like violent crime is down 4.4 percent nationwide and property crime is down 6.1 percent. However, in Seattle both violent and property crimes have gone up compared to last year. The Seattle Times wrote,

Data released Monday by the FBI showed incidents of violent crime (murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery) in Seattle increased from 1,582 during the first six months of 2008 to 1,927 during the same period this year — a rise of nearly 22 percent, the FBI reported.

Property crimes (burglary, larceny, theft and car theft) in Seattle also rose approximately 4.5 percent during the first half of the year with 16,325 incidents, compared to 15,629 incidents during the first half of 2008.

I personally was never sure if there was actually more crime, of if I was just more aware of it, until I saw these numbers. And there’s no denying the reports of burglaries and break-ins keep coming. Just this morning the Ballard Walgreens was robbed at gunpoint. Jonah Spangenthal-Lee at SeattleCrime.com has a theory behind Seattle’s recent rise in crime. He breaks it down to three main causes. One: The economy. Two: A shortage of police officers. And lastly, an unfinished Neighborhood Policing Plan that falls short of helping cops better integrate with and serve their neighborhoods. Read Jonah’s full post here, and tell us, what do you think? 



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