Violent crime is up in Philadelphia after the FBI released the latest statistics.
Rising crime has become a political flash point in elections at almost every level. Whether it’s former President Trump mentioning crimes committed by illegal immigrants, or the San Francisco District Attorney being recalled by the voters, it’s an important topic.
When discussing crime, there are two important aspects to the conversation, which aren’t always in sync: how Americans feel about safety and crime, and what the statistics show. Even then, statistics can be either manipulated or interpreted in different ways to support a particular argument.
Since 2020, crime rates have risen according to charts from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report and the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey, In the FBI’s stats, an anomaly from 2021, in which only 65% of the populations’ police forces submitted data, raises questions as to its veracity.
During the recent debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the question over crime statistics and whether crime was on the rise nationally. At the end of September, the FBI released statistics showing violent crime declined 3% nationally, Yet just three weeks later, an investigation by RealClear showed the FBI quietly revised those numbers, showing a 4.5% increase in violent crime in 2022.
While the statistics show crime rose modestly, some believe Americans’ thoughts on crime are the result of distorted reality. Vox wrote that media coverage and sensationalism play a role in magnifying crime as an issue, using “shoplifting panic” as a recent example, citing “faulty data” getting picked up by media.
In Philadelphia, the murder rate is dropping in 2024. The city is on pace for the fewest number of homicides in nearly six decades. Yet, while the homicide numbers from 2022 to 2023 dropped, they “remain higher than pre-pandemic years.” Additionally, Philadelphia neighborhoods are seeing a spike in other violent crime.
These statistics are at least partly reflected in a ranking of safe cities by WalletHub, which puts Philadelphia among the least safe cities in the nation. The state as a whole ranked as the 28th safest state.
Even with Philadelphia’s violent crime rates dropping, other communities in Pennsylvania are experiencing rising crime. By June 2024, Scranton had nearly doubled the number of homicides it had in all of 2023.
Towns in Western Pennsylvania are feeling the impact of criminal illegal immigration, which has left Charleroi residents “afraid to go into” town due to crime.
In response to the rise in crime, a group of Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced a package of bills that empower communities to take proactive measures such as organizing neighborhood watch programs in consultation with local law enforcement, and “supporting independent crime stopper programs.” Additionally, the state’s Commission on Crime and Delinquency announced $80 million in funding to “modernize crime reporting”, upgrade technology for police departments, and provide more funding for victim services. The Commission also recently announced $10 million in available funding for nonprofits to “combat hate crimes by enhancing the safety and security of their facilities.”
Using online search trends, Washington Examiner reports that Pennsylvania voters appear to be more interested in reducing crime than media reporting indicates. It was the top issue for voters in the Keystone state according to their analysis.