Police Shooting in Anaheim Leads to Violent Clash

An officer involved shooting in Anaheim prompted angry citizens to protest. Things got so messy that officers had to release a canine on the citizens and shot rubber bullets in order to calm the crowd. This video is a strong contrast to my previous posts where I have stated that violent crimes are down in the U.S. While as a country our crime rates may be low, it is important to keep in mind that violence in our smaller regions may be getting out of hand. Citizen gets violent-officer allegedly shoots citizen-citizens become outraged and become violent-officers get violent to calm the citizens. Crime is bouncing back and forth and while they may be at the lowest rate we've seen in years, they are still evident.

Violent Crime Decreases, But The Killing Of Officers Increases

In my last post I talked about the decreasing of violent crime rates in the U.S, and now the New York Times has published an article stating that despite this decrease, there has been an increase in the killing of police officers. According to data provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the number of officers that have been murdered by perpetrators since 2008 has increased by 75 percent. Law enforcement representatives are struggling to explain this drastic change. Some people are saying that the rise in the killing of officers is linked to the country's economic state. However, wouldn't that mean that all violent crime would be up? My post from last week shows that despite expectations of a rise in violence after our economic downfall, crime rates are down and we are headed in the right direction.

U.S Violent Crime Rate Down for 5th Straight Year

FBI data released Monday June 11, 2012 states that U.S Crime Rates are reaching historic lows. While a variety of crimes are only down from .8 to 5 percent, they are believed to be contributing to a larger-scale national decline in violence, so large in fact that it is helping the nation reach peace. This drop is boggling criminologists, who expected crime rates to spike as a result of the country's current economic status. 280 fewer Americans were murdered last year, giving 2011 the lowest homicide death toll since the mid 1950s. So, what can we attribute to this drop in crime? Well, police are said to have become much more proactive and, in a way, "cracked down" on citizens. 

I was surprised to read that crime rates have declined in the U.S. I have always thought of the nineteen-fifties as being a safer time when parents would let there children go outside and play all day and not even see them until dinner time. Today, it seems as though nothing is as safe as it was then; but this article proves me wrong. I think that anyone would find this article interesting and enlightening.

Violent Crime

My blog topic is Violent Crime. I chose this topic because I will be studying criminology in college. I plan on focusing on what drives people to commit violent crimes and what biological and environmental factors influence their actions and decisions.