US murder, violent crime rates plunge in first 3 months of 2024, FBI data shows
FILE-A police officer escorts a handcuffed male suspect into a police station. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
Violent crime rates plummeted in the first three months of 2024 based on new stats released by the FBI.
Data reported by the agency Monday shows violent crime dropped 15.2 percent between January and March this year compared to the same months in 2023.
Murders decreased by 26.4%, and reported rapes fell by 25.7%, while aggravated assaults dipped by 12.5%, robberies fell by 17.8%, and property crimes declined by 15.1% during the first three months.
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This quarterly report uses numbers sent to the FBI from 72% of the law enforcement population participating in the collection.
The FBI noted that crime incident stats will be updated once 80% of law enforcement data is submitted.
"This data makes clear that last year’s historic decline in violent crime is continuing," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a release in response to the crime report.
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"This continued historic decline in homicides does not represent abstract statistics. It represents people whose lives were saved — people who are still here to see their children grow up, to work toward fulfilling their dreams, and to contribute to their communities."
This story was reported from Washington, D.C.