Story highlights FBI Director James Comey says the agency plans to collect more data on civilian shootings by law enforcement

"We have witnessed a remarkable drop in crime since the 1980's -- both violent crime and crime overall," Comey said

Washington (CNN) The FBI says crime rates, including murder, were down last year. The report is in contrast to headlines this year about a surge in killings in some major cities.

The annual Uniform Crime Report statistics released Monday come amid lingering tension over police shootings and the relationship between officers and minority communities.

To that end, FBI Director James Comey said in a memo released with the report that the FBI plans to collect more data about shootings of civilians by law enforcement in order to address concerns about appropriate use of force. He called on more law enforcement agencies to submit data to the FBI on so-called justifiable homicides.

The FBI report shows a 0.2% decline nationwide in violent crimes in 2014, with more than 11 million arrests made by police for almost a half-million violent crimes.

The report says that in 2014 the U.S. recorded the fewest murders since 2009. Most other violent crimes, such as robbery, burglary, theft and arson have declined, while aggravated assaults and rapes, which now includes a broader definition, were on the rise in 2014.

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