The recent mid-year crime trend report by the Council on Criminal Justice has shown that most violent crimes in U.S. cities have returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 11 out of the 12 analyzed crime types showing lower rates so far in 2024 compared to 2023, with the only exception being shoplifting, which has increased by 24%. The pandemic is believed to have disrupted the motives, means, and opportunities that drive crime, leading to the spike and subsequent drop in crime rates. Violent crime rates, including homicides, aggravated assault, gun assault, domestic violence, robbery, and carjacking, have all either decreased or remained stable compared to 2019 and 2023 levels.
Motor vehicle theft, which had been on the rise since 2020, has started to decrease in 2024, but is still significantly higher than in 2019. Other crimes such as residential burglaries, nonresidential burglaries, larcenies, and drug offenses have also shown declines compared to 2023. However, shoplifting rates have continued to increase, especially due to coordinated “smash-and-grab” incidents.
While the decline in violent crime rates is encouraging, the report emphasizes that the 2019 crime rates were still higher than the modern low in 2014, indicating that more work needs to be done to protect lives and prevent crime. The report suggests that local policy responses and strategies are coming into play, leading to more variance in how cities are returning to normalcy. Ultimately, the report calls for further action by policy makers to prevent and respond to violence effectively.
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