The FBI has released its preliminary figures for the Uniform Crime Reports for the first half of 2013. Violent crime is down in all categories tracked and all regions. Property crime is down also, although the decline in the West is a negligible 0.3%.
Unfortunately, the preliminary figures have no breakdown by state, so we cannot tell if the Realignment-driven crime increases are continuing in California. Given the state's large weight in the Western region, though, that would be consistent with the West's relatively poor results. The West's drop in violent crime is only 3.7% compared with 5.4% for the country as a whole. As noted above, the West's property crime rate is essentially unchanged, compared to another 5.4% drop for the country.
Perhaps most telling is motor vehicle theft. As explained in this post, this is the category most likely to be affected by Realignment, and it did indeed shoot up in California between 2011 and 2012. In today's report, motor vehicle theft is up 3% in the West as a whole, the only net increase in the entire table.
Unfortunately, the preliminary figures have no breakdown by state, so we cannot tell if the Realignment-driven crime increases are continuing in California. Given the state's large weight in the Western region, though, that would be consistent with the West's relatively poor results. The West's drop in violent crime is only 3.7% compared with 5.4% for the country as a whole. As noted above, the West's property crime rate is essentially unchanged, compared to another 5.4% drop for the country.
Perhaps most telling is motor vehicle theft. As explained in this post, this is the category most likely to be affected by Realignment, and it did indeed shoot up in California between 2011 and 2012. In today's report, motor vehicle theft is up 3% in the West as a whole, the only net increase in the entire table.
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