Major Cities' Plummeting Crime Rates Mystifying

[babylonsister]

Major Cities' Plummeting Crime Rates Mystifying
Killings in the District, Pr. George's Have Fallen

By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 20, 2009


Violent crime has plummeted in the Washington area and in major cities across the country, a trend criminologists describe as baffling and unexpected.

The District, New York and Los Angeles are on track for fewer killings this year than in any other year in at least four decades. Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis and other cities are also seeing notable reductions in homicides.

"Experts did not see this coming at all," said Andrew Karmen, a criminologist and professor of sociology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

In the District and Prince George's County, homicides are down about 17 percent this year.

Criminologists have different theories about why crime is down so much, although many agree that the common belief that crime is connected to the economy is false.

Whatever the cause, police across the region are taking credit for the drop.

"Everybody wants to beat us up when it goes up, so we'll take credit for it when it goes down," D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071902154.html?hpid=topnews

[Bicoastal]

1. It's either Jesus or Obama...

..or Obejesusmama.

[Winterblues]

2. As compared to the huge increases throughout the Bush* era.

Crime just isn't as accepted as when Republicans rule..

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Price of bullets went up.

Now, let's see those robbery and burglary statistics, shall we?

[gmoney]

5. the Chris Rock model?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFcVwDw4YLE

[scheming daemons]

4. Hope and Change.... seriously... optimistic people don't turn to crime

[abumbyanyothername]

6. +1 with text

but seriously, with the lack of change (see healthcare) comes a lack of hope . . . .

[Joanne98]

7. I don't know about this.

[timeforpeace]

8. Excellent news.

[paulsby]

9. the fact that "experts" didn't see it

says more about their (lack of ) supposed "expertise" than the trend itself. not surprising. as somebody who works with crime and criminals every day, i certainly don't look to "criminologists" and "experts" to explain it to me.