Violent crime in nation is up 2.5%

Violent crime was up in the United States from 2004 to 2005, according to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report released this week, while in Utah, the trends were mixed.

Overall, violent crime in the United States was up 2.5 percent, with murders and manslaughters up 4.8 percent and aggravated assaults up 1.9 percent, according to the FBI report. It's the first increase in overall violent crime in the United States since 2001.

In Salt Lake City, violent crime, including murder and rape, was down in 2005 compared to the year before, but aggravated assault was up.

The changes, however, were small. The difference in the total number of violent-crime incidents in 2005 from the year before was less than 50, according to the statistics.

West Valley City saw a huge jump in overall violent crime percentage-wise from 2004 to 2005, including a big increase in homicides. But West Valley police Capt. Tom McLachlan said homicide represents a number that can easily change from year to year.

"It's a very simple statistic with a very complex definition," he said. "There are too many variables in something like that. It's circumstance and happenstance where these things occur."

McLachlan noted that despite last year's increase in the homicide rate, so far this year the city has only had one. And in 2001 and 2002, the city only had two homicides each year. "Crime fluctuates," he said.

Sometimes the suspect and victim in a homicide don't even live in the city where the crime occurred, he added.

In Provo, overall violent crimes — including homicide, rape and aggravated assault — were all up, according to FBI statistics.

But Provo Police Capt. Rick Healey said when the city's actual numbers are already low, any small increases in crime will end up looking big from a percentage standpoint.

"Our crime rate in general is way below the averages of other cities on the list. We're happy about that. We're working hard to keep it that way," Healey said.

Property crime was down 1.6 percent in the United States from 2004 to 2005.

In Provo, overall property crime was down, despite an increase in burglary and motor-vehicle theft. Property crime was also down in Salt Lake City, despite an increase in car theft and arson, according to the FBI.

Salt Lake City police detective Robin Snyder said she hopes the decrease in property crime is a reflection of the department's efforts to educate residents to not become victims of crimes of opportunity.

"We hope the public is more aware of what's going on around them," she said. "The public is becoming more educated in keeping their houses and cars locked, keeping an eye on their neighbor's house when they go out of town and calling police to report suspicious vehicles or people."

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