Thread: FBI Releases 2008 Crime Statistics for NC

FBI Releases 2008 Crime Statistics

By NC WANTED Staff

Posted: Jan. 13, 2009
Updated: Jan. 13, 2009

WAKE and CUMBERLAND COUNTIES — The Federal Bureau of Investigation released its semiannual crime report yesterday, showing violent crime is declining nationwide. Preliminary figures for our area, however, tell a different story.

The FBI report compiles statistics gathered from participating law enforcement agencies twice a year to determine general crime trends. In our area, the cities of Raleigh, Cary and Fayetteville contributed to the report. Cary and Raleigh saw an increase in murders between 2007 and 2008, and Fayetteville and Raleigh saw an increase in overall violent crime, which includes murder, rape, robbery and assault.

Raleigh saw a sharp increase of violent crime in 2008, with homicides up from 10 in the first half of 2007 to 18 in the first half of 2008. The Raleigh police department released preliminary figures earlier this month that showed a 29 percent increase in murders in 2008. Armed robberies were up 21 percent.

Raleigh police chief Harry Dolan has publicly attributed Raleigh's dramatic crime increase to population growth and a thriving gang problem. Raleigh police expect to have firmer crime statistics for 2008 in the coming weeks.

The city of Durham did not participate in the FBI's report, but WRAL News reported earlier this month that despite a 2.2 increase in population, homicides dropped from 26 in 2007 to 24 in 2008.

Here are the FBI report's findings, broken down by city:

Raleigh: Murders jumped from 10 in the first half of 2007 to 18 in 2008. Armed robberies skyrocketed, from 380 in the first half of 2007 to 517 in 2008. Rapes and assaults only saw marginal changes in 2008; rapes went up slightly and assaults went down slightly. Total reported vilolent crimes were up to 1,132 over 1,007 in the first half of 2007.

Cary: Cary had one murder in the first half of 2008 and no murders in the first half of 2007. Robberies and rapes went down in 2008, however, and assaults increased slightly. Total reported violent crimes also decreased over 2007, dropping from 66 to 64.

Fayetteville: Fayetteville saw a substantial increase in total violent crime, although murders were down to 7 in the first half of 2008 compared to 8 in 2007. Rapes jumped from 22 to 34 and robberies and assaults both increased.

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http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4302088/

Raleigh police chief Harry Dolan has publicly attributed Raleigh's dramatic crime increase to population growth and a thriving gang problem.

Hmmm...any specifics on the demographics of the population growth?