Watch CBS News

FBI Stats Show Uptick In Nation's Violent Crime; Fremont Leads Bay Area Jump

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The amount of violent crime in the U.S. has increased for the second straight year, according to new statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

The FBI on Monday issued its report on crime in 2016, showing a 4.1 percent rise in violent crime compared with 2015 data.

The annual report also show property crime dropping by 1.3 percent last year, the 14th consecutive year the estimate for such offenses declined, the FBI said.

Among the 1,248,185 violent crimes reported in the U.S in 2016, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses increased 8.6 percent, aggravated assault and rape increased 5.1 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively, and robbery increased 1.2 percent.

In the Bay Area, several cities outpaced the national average increase in violent crime - San Jose was up 14.3 percent, Berkeley rose 13.6 percent, and Fremont saw a spike of 24.6 percent.

Fremont Police noted the increase was in 33 cases- either aggravated assaults or robberies, not homicides.

"It is a higher percentage than some of the cities," said Fremont police spokeswoman Geneva Bosques. "However, if you look at Fremont's overall crime, we are still one of the safest cities in this country for the size and our population and we stand behind that."

The 2016 increase in the nation's murder rate follows a double-digit percentage increase in 2015, the largest jump in more than 25 years. However, the nation's overall murder rate in 2016 is well below its peak of 10.2 per 100,000 in 1980.

 

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.