FBI Releases Preliminary NW Crime Stats for 2007

The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program collects data on murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-threat, and motor vehicle thefts.

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(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Today, the FBI released a preliminary report detailing January - June 2007 crime data based on the submissions of 11,673 law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

Each of these agencies had to submit 3 to 6 comparable months of data to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program for January through June of both 2006 and 2007. Nationally, there was a 1.8% decrease in violent crime and a 2.6% decrease in property crime during the first six months of 2006.

The report shows the following in Oregon and Washington:

* Portland saw a 5.3% decrease in violent crimes during the first half of 2007 compared to 2006, but it had a 4.5% increase in property crimes during this same period.

* Eugene saw a 67% increase in violent crimes but only a 3.5% increase in property crimes. Note that the raw numbers of violent crimes (131 in 2006 versus 219 in 2007) are so small, that any increase is going to tend to show as a large percentage.

* Salem saw an 8% decrease in violent crimes and a 5% decrease in property crimes in the first half of 2007 compared to 2006.

* Outside of Oregon, Vancouver saw a decrease of 4.5% in violent crime and a 1.4% increase in property crimes in the first six months of 2007 compared to 2006.

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The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program collects data on the following crimes: murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-threat, and motor vehicle thefts.

Source: FBI