By Jocelyn Bogen and Ed Somers
September 11, 2006

Reversing a downward trend over the past ten years, violent crime rates in many cities across the nation increased in 2005, and are continuing to go up in 2006.

Based on 2005 data published by the FBI, and new data gathered directly from 28 cities across the country by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), cities in all regions of the country and of varying sizes are seeing increases in homicide, assault, and robbery.

For example, in 2005:

• Homicide was up 13 percent in San Francisco, 27 percent in Memphis, 39 percent in Milwaukee, 47 percent in Rochester (NY), 20 percent in Boston, and 29 percent in Orlando

• Assault was up 15 percent in Seattle, 42 percent in Detroit, and 48 percent in Norfolk (VA)

• Robbery was up 41 percent in Minneapolis, 21 percent in Charleston, 19 percent in Indianapolis, 27 percent in Louisville Metro, 28 percent in Dearborn, and 26 percent in Lowell (MA)

And through June of 2006:

• Homicide is up 19 percent in Cincinnati, 28 percent in Boston, 14 percent in Sacramento, and 15 percent in Miami

• Assault is up 26 percent in Atlanta, 21 percent in White Plains (NY), and 24 percent in Charleston

• Robbery is up 24 percent in Alexandria (VA), 11 percent in Cleveland, 35 percent in Denver, 25 percent in Frederick (MD)

To raise awareness of these trends and discuss local strategies to address them, PERF and the U.S. Conference of Mayors held back-to-back meetings with mayors and police chiefs August 30-31.

During a public forum August 30, PERF President Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said, “Crime is coming back,” adding that the surge in crime has a new troubling characteristic with the perpetrators being younger people who are disassociated from mainstream America.

“Everything is exploding again. We need effective, efficient emergency federal response,” stated Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Most of the spikes were significant and alarming, and PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler said they reflected that the rise in crime “… is not about one city; it’s about the country.”

Following the PERF Forum, Conference President Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido led a working session of mayors and police chiefs that focused on publicizing the growing problem, and developing possible solutions.

Participating in the Conference meeting were Mayors Guido, Conference Vice President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer, Criminal and Social Justice Committee Chair Rochester (NY) Mayor Robert Duffy, Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry E. Abramson, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Alexandria (VA) Mayor William Euille, and many police chiefs.

The meeting focused on a number of issues including numbers of police officers on the streets, technology, FBI assistance, DNA backlogs, and illegal guns. The group discussed how federal resources for local law enforcement have been dramatically reduced; gun safety laws have been weakened; the FBI has severely cut back on agents working crime issues; there has been a growth of gangs in urban and suburban communities; meth use continues to grow; and more and more ex-offenders are leaving prison and returning to cities across the nation. Based on the discussions at the PERF meeting, Abramson stressed that many cities now have fewer police officers on the beat than in recent years.

Building from the recommendations contained in the Conference’s 1993 National Action Plan to Combat Violent Crime - most of which are still relevant – the Conference of Mayors will work during its upcoming Fall Leadership Meeting to identify crime reduction strategies.

In addition, the Conference of Mayors and PERF have committed to forming a partnership to work together to continue to educate the media, the public and Washington about the growing national trends on crime increases.

Palmer said, “We need a national movement that recognizes that while homeland security is important, hometown security is equally important.”