Updated 9/18/2006
11:40 PM ET
By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The nation's murder rate rose 1.8% last year after hitting a two-decade low in 2004, the FBI said Monday in a report that raised questions about whether violent crime rates will continue to head up after years of decline.
The overall rate for violent crimes — murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — rose 1.3% in 2005 but remained far below the high set in 1991, when homicide rates in many cities soared amid a sluggish economy and gang wars. Last year, in fact, the rate for rapes alone fell 2.2% and was the lowest it had been in more than 20 years.
The jump in the overall rate for violent crimes, however, gave ammunition to several police officials who have complained that the U.S. government has allowed anti-crime initiatives to languish as it has focused on anti-terrorism efforts here and abroad.
"This report should serve as a strong wake-up call," said Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske in Seattle, which recorded a 25% increase in gun-related crime last year. "We better realign our focus to the war going on in some of our cities."
Edward Flynn, police commissioner in Springfield, Mass., said local police agencies have yet to recover from the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which led the federal government to redirect tens of millions of dollars in grants away from policing projects and toward homeland security programs.
"Police can't be good homeland security partners if they cannot do their core missions," said Flynn, whose city of 155,000 had 18 homicides last year, double the number from 2000. "People need to see this as a sign for concern."
AS long as I've spent all this time listening to Conservative Talk Radio pollution there is on more thing I want to emphasize about 'The Housing Bubble' and then I'll be done with this mess. After all today is Earth Day. I'd rather languish in that reality than the fact guns pervading society is actually a priority of this administration.
