[Cold Warrior]

I never fully believe the crime statistics reported by police departments. They are often manipulated to make a department look good, especially in an election year. The only statistic I trust is the murder rate, because the police department can't ignore a dead body.

[EA]

Maybe it's all the spelling errors driving the increased violence?

[AdamSelene]

Empathy and respect are luxuries of an enlightened civilization. An increasing number of people are being priced out of a dignified place in society. Old jobs disappear, unemployment insurance runs out, and new jobs (if available at all) don't pay enough to survive on. Desperate people do desperate things. Lack of basic needs turns us selfish and vengeful. Snowball effect ensues.
The computer/artificial-intelligence/robotics revolution will rapidly exacerbate this problem, until we realign our antiquated economic model with the reality that technology has already progressed past the point where there's not enough necessary work for everyone to fill 40 hours a week, and there's even a limit to how many bull**** jobs we can pretend are necessary.

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by AdamSelene

Empathy and respect are luxuries of an enlightened civilization. An increasing number of people are being priced out of a dignified place in society. Old jobs disappear, unemployment insurance runs out, and new jobs (if available at all) don't pay enough to survive on. Desperate people do desperate things. Lack of basic needs turns us selfish and vengeful. Snowball effect ensues.
The computer/artificial-intelligence/robotics revolution will rapidly exacerbate this problem, until we realign our antiquated economic model with the reality that technology has already progressed past the point where there's not enough necessary work for everyone to fill 40 hours a week, and there's even a limit to how many bull**** jobs we can pretend are necessary.

All true and likely to have a significant impact on our society over the next decades.

It would not appear relevant to a very large change in murder rates occurring in a short period in multiple cities.

[BBMW]

To some extent I can believe this. But I think murder statistics are fairly accurate. It's fairly hard to mischaracterize a murder as something else, and the bodies are easy to count.

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior

I never fully believe the crime statistics reported by police departments. They are often manipulated to make a department look good, especially in an election year. The only statistic I trust is the murder rate, because the police department can't ignore a dead body.

[EA]

There was a fatal stabbing in my old apartment complex. Glad I don't live there anymore. I swam in that pool all summer when I lived there.


Man dead in shooting near Nellis, Vegas Valley - Story

[yellowsnow]

It's road rage because Tropicana, Flamingo, and Russell Road are all under major construction at the same time. And they have the freeways jacked up too.

[tijlover]

It will always be a mystery to me, why, during the worst of the recession, the crime rate was so low, when you'd expect it to be the highest. The economy improves, and the crime rate goes up!

During the worst of the Great Recession, when I'd even see people sleeping in their cars in my neighborhood on my late night walks, I expected my home to be invaded any minute, or my car stolen, or mugged while taking a 3am walk with my ferret, and? Mystery of mysteries!

[BBMW]

^
Because it's usually factors other than economics that drive crime, especially violent crime.

[AdamSelene]

Originally Posted by tijlover

It will always be a mystery to me, why, during the worst of the recession, the crime rate was so low, when you'd expect it to be the highest. The economy improves, and the crime rate goes up!

It's a delayed consequence. When people lose their income, first they eat through their savings and equity, then go into debt, then unemployment benefits run out, then end up in crappy replacement jobs that don't even pay enough to be called subsistence wages. Then the trouble begins. 2008's 12-year-olds are 20 now. Imagine what their formative years have been like for so many.