What are your chances of becoming a victim of property theft—or worse–in the U.S.A? For today’s blog, we’ve compiled some interesting crime statistics that caught our eye, which may surprise you.

1. Violent crime in the U.S. has fallen sharply over the past 25 years.

It may feel that the crime rate is only going up. But according to both the FBI’s annual crime report and the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ annual crime survey, the violent crime rate has actually fallen drastically. Exact percentages vary—for the FBI study, the crime rate fell 49% between 1993 and 2017; and from the BJS study, it fell 74% during the same span. Property crime has fallen, too, either 50% or 69%, for each respective study. This is remarkable when you consider that our methods of detecting and arresting criminals have only improved.

2. The vast majority of property crimes are unsolved.

Most of the crimes that are reported to police are not solved, at least based on an FBI measure known as the “clearance rate.” That’s the share of cases each year that are closed through the arrest, charging, and referral of a suspect for prosecution. In 2017, police nationwide cleared 46% of violent crimes that were reported to them. But for property crimes, the national clearance rate was only 18%–meaning that if your property is stolen or vandalized, there’s statistically very little chance that justice will be served. 

3. If you commit a murder in Yellowstone’s “murder zone”, you can’t be prosecuted.

Brian Kalt, a Michigan State University law professor, discovered that there is a 50-mile area within Yellowstone that crosses parts of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana where murder is technically legal. Since this part of Yellowstone is unpopulated, with no potential jury members living in the area, no jury trial can take place. Once Kalt made his discovery, he sent copies of his research to lawmakers with suggestions on how to fix the issue, but his efforts have not yet yielded any results.

4. The list of most dangerous cities in the U.S. might surprise you.

If you were asked to name the most dangerous city in the U.S., you’d probably list places like Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, and Los Angeles (or, sadly, Charlotte, NC). But according to the FBI’s 2018 Uniform Crime Report, none of these names top the list. The top most dangerous U.S. cities are:

1. Bessemer, AL
2. East St. Louis, IL
3. Monroe, LA
4. St. Louis, MO
5. Detroit, MI
6. Baltimore, MD
7. Memphis, TN
8. Camden, NJ
9. Flint, MI
10. Pine Bluff, AR

Baltimore, St. Louis, and Detroit, we might expect, based on other crime data. But the rest come as a surprise.

Secure Your Property with James Access Controls

Charlotte might not be the most dangerous city in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean theft, vandalism, and trespassing occur here. Safety measures such as automatic entry systems, video surveillance systems, automatic gates, and fences can protect your property and keep your family safe. If you are looking for a security system company in Charlotte, call James Access Controls today for a free estimate.