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For a growing number of cities across the United States, violent crime is accelerating at an alarming pace. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR) for 2005 reflects a significant increase in violent crime throughout the country compared to 2004 figures. Nationwide, the United States experienced increases in three of the four violent crime categories: homicide (3.4%), robberies (3.9%) and aggravated assaults (1.8%). This rise in violent crime was experienced in all areas of the country. Statistics provided to the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) from numerous cities indicate that the rise in violent crime is continuing into 2006.
Concerned that these violent crime increases represent the early stages of an epidemic of violence not seen for years, representatives from more than 50 cities comprised of 170 mayors, police chiefs and public officials convened on August 30, 2006, in Washington, D.C., at PERF’s National Violent Crime Summit. The summit was part of the “2006 Critical Issues in Policing Series,” supported by Motorola. The goal of the summit was to paint a picture of violent crime across the country and determine the nature and the extent of the problem.
This publication summarizes the discussions that occurred at the National Violent Crime Summit. It captures the perspectives of law enforcement leaders throughout the United States and provides new information on violent crime trends continuing into 2006. The publication underscores the fact that violent crime is escalating and identifies some of the factors that may be contributing to this trend.
