do people really believe the crime rate is going down? (generations, illegal)

[nickerman]

I read in several national news sources that the crime rate is going down in American cities. Do you believe that? A few months ago there was a big stink in the Milwaukee police department because they were fudging crime statistics. Some of the things that they were doing was putting down serious assaults as misdeamenors. I think all cities are doing that. The reason is tourism is one of the biggest money makers for cities and all cities are in economic trouble. If people believe the crime rate is going down they will feel safer traveling to a city. It is probably a complicated question but I don't believe the crime rate is going down on our cities.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by nickerman

I read in several national news sources that the crime rate is going down in American cities. Do you believe that? A few months ago there was a big stink in the Milwaukee police department because they were fudging crime statistics. Some of the things that they were doing was putting down serious assaults as misdeamenors. I think all cities are doing that. The reason is tourism is one of the biggest money makers for cities and all cities are in economic trouble. If people believe the crime rate is going down they will feel safer traveling to a city. It is probably a complicated question but I don't believe the crime rate is going down on our cities.

It depends on the city.

Police would have the incentive to fudge in order to make crime seem higher than it is, rather than lower, as higher reported levels of crime would mean more money for departments and protection from budget cuts. However, many crimes go undetected because of the victims being involved in criminal activity themselves and not wanting undue police attention. Also, illegal immigrant victims of crime are loath to report the crimes to police, despite amnesty existing for crime victims. This is why murder statistics are considered the best indication of crime levels - murder is harder to conceal than other crimes.

[PrestigiousReputability]

It has actually gone down. I think it's mainly due to increased video games usage in recent decades.

Most teens/young adults in both "vulnerable" inner-city areas as well as affluent suburbs are now drawn to being inside playing video as opposed to congregating on the streets like in previous generations. I've seen it with my own two-eyes how streets that were once filled with kids in the late 90's are now EMPTY..

This without-a-doubt decreases crime rates though of course, there are other consequences as a result.