On Tuesday, FBI reports indicated that the crime rate in United States alone dramatically increased in the first six months of 2015. Police have yet to discover the reason for this sudden spike.
"Statistics show a 1.7 percent jump in the number of violent crimes by local law enforcement to the FBI, with increases in murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault," according to Fox News. Between the months of January and June of 2015, murders in smaller areas increased by 17 percent, 12.4 percent in places with between half a million occupants and 10.8 percent in places with more than one million residents. This statistical data was accumulated from more than 12,000 agencies, between the years 2014 to 2015.
"The Census Bureau has said that small places - incorporated areas with fewer than 10,000 people - account for about 9.1 percent of the total U.S. population," according to The Washington Post.
It also came to light that as the act of these violent crimes increased, the more mild charges such as arson and burglary dropped. Experts in the criminal justice industry have made aware that though the crime rate has dramatically increased, it is still far less then it was 20 years ago. "Some have also noted that after years of drops, the numbers could not be expected to keep going down," according to NY Daily News.
"While the overall violent crime rates remain historically low, and it is too early to draw any long-term conclusions, the Justice Department is acutely focused on the increases being experienced in some communities of the country," said Justice Department spokesman Patrick Rodenbush, according to NY Daily News.
Rodenbush noted the possible link between the violence and police proactivity. The NY Daily News pointed to what Rodenbush said he heard: "that officers after the 2014 Ferguson, Miss. shooting had adopted less proactive policing tactics for fear of being captured on viral videos and attracting public condemnation."
Rodenbush stated that "the department next month would bring together representatives from every U.S. attorney's office for training on anti-violence strategies," according to Fox News.
Further investigation into the matter proceeds and action has been enforced to help prevent this from occurring again.
