What has been the trend in violent crime over the past 25 years?
Violent crime increased gradually from 1975 until the early 1990s. There were increases each year with few exceptions (see Figure 1). In 1992, the rate of violent crime peaked at 758 reported offenses per 100,000 people. After 1992 and continuing to 2001, the violent crime rate decreased. In fact, in 2001 the rate was approximately the same as it was in 1981.
