Recently, information from the Department of Justice unveiled a marked rise in aggressive behavior-based offenses under the present Harris-Biden governance. This directly flies in the face of an assertion made by ABC News debate arbitrator David Muir during a recent televised bout with previous President Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
The Department of Justice gathers data from the Bureau of Justice, performing a crucial half-yearly review that includes not only cases officially reported to the police but even those crimes not brought to the attention of the authorities. Their latest report surfaced this past Friday, shedding light on a bothersome accelerating trend within the national crime landscape.
A long-standing yearly endeavor, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), showcased an alarming rise in the reported instances of violent crime. This scope includes grave offenses such as sexual assault, muggings, and aggravated assaults, jumping from a rate of 5.6 per 1,000 in 2020 to 8.7 per 1,000 in 2023.
In fact, the gravest spike in violence occurred in 2022, when this survey positioned the rate of felonious behavior at 9.8 incidents per 1,000 people above the age of 12. This worrying escalation triggers a crucial discussion, calling to question the criminal management approaches of the current administration compared to their predecessor, the Trump reign.
During a contentious Tuesday night exchange in Philadelphia, ex-President Trump vigorously claimed that crime rates were skyrocketing under the present administration. However, Muir countered that remark, pointing to FBI data that suggested a contrary trend: a decrease in violent crime on a nationwide scale.
The FBI’s mention was presumably drawn from the 2024 quarterly report, showcasing a 15.2% decrement in violent criminal activity during the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the analogous period this year. Although, this report might not accurately mirror the totality of the crime situation, considering unreported crime are neglected.
Furthermore, the report, despite considering severe offenses such as murder, sexual assault, theft, and aggravated assaults, is limited in its comprehensiveness. The presented portrait of crime seems lacking as it only represents 72% of the law enforcement community, thus circumventing a full picture.
Upon the unveiling of this report, the former president seemed to feel vindicated. During a southern California press event held on Friday, Trump didn’t refrain from using the Bureau of Statistics report to uphold his prior arguments.
Retrospectively referring to Muir’s contradiction, Trump argued that the data attested to a growing crime epidemic in the U.S. He didn’t mince words in lampooning Muir’s previous reversal, pointing to it as an ill-informed assumption made in haste by the ABC news debater.
In addition to violent crime, the NCVS accentuated other areas where criminal activities have escalated since their 2019 assessments. Unfamiliar culprit offenses saw a jump from 8.1 per 1,000 to 11.4 per 1,000 in 2023 while offenses involving the use of weaponry climbed from 4.0 per 1,000 to 5.3 per 1,000 in the same period.
Significantly, vehicle theft instances also showed a sharp rise, increasing from 3.9 per 1,000 in 2019 to a worrying 6.1 per 1,000 by 2023. These trends highlight a worrying landscape and call into question the effectiveness of the present administration’s policies.
In response, John Lott, a previous Justice Department senior adviser for research and statistics, shed light on possible reasons for the differing numbers presented by the FBI and DOJ reports. With police numbers dwindling in metropolitan zones like New York, reported incidents to the FBI could also be declining.
Lott further explained that the NCVS was initiated decades ago to account for crimes that are not reported, shedding light on an often overlooked aspect of the criminal world. He noted that about 40% of violent offenses and around 30% of property offenses actually reach the attention of the police.
The question then boils down to the paramount concern of whether it’s the reported crimes or the total crimes that matter. This emphasizes the importance of considering unreported crimes when discussing the national crime situation, adding another layer of complexity.
Following these revelations, an advocator for Trump, Karoline Leavitt, demanded a public apology from David Muir for what she perceived as an incorrect and rude interjection during the debate. She argued that the new data vindicates Trump, proving his assessment of crime under the current administration correct.
Colliding viewpoints regarding the crime situation in the country continue to fuel debate and controversy. These new reports showcasing an increase in violent crime under the current administration are sure to intensify this ongoing discussion, shaping future discourse on the administration and its policies.