Have you noticed how many television channels currently have programs with story-lines woven around crime or law enforcement? With so many police dramas and crime series floating around the pool of broadcasting networks, I couldn’t help but wonder what the recent crime statistics looked like in the real world. These numbers are quite important because not only do they reflect the current state of security, but they help criminal justice agencies make informed decisions about how to manage and allocate their limited resources towards keeping our communities and its residents safer.

The FBI’s annual report Crime in the United States 2012 provides a snapshot of some facts and trends regarding criminal activity. Their estimates indicate that over the past year number of violent crimes has increased by 0.7% while the number of property crimes declined by 0.9%. Violent crimes (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault) which involve some form of force or threat of force against a victim had rates ranging from 123 in Maine to 1244 per 100,000 people in Washington D.C. Property crimes (burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson) on the other hand, are those where there is a loss of money or property and ranged from a rate of 1922 in the state of New York to 4861 per 100,000 for Washington D.C.

A glance at the maps above shows us that Virginia fares quite well compared to other states. But is this true of all regions in the Commonwealth? The recent Crime in Virginia 2012 report released by the Virginia Uniform Crime Reporting Program from the Department of State Police demonstrates an uneven distribution for estimated adult and juvenile arrests across the state. It is evident that there are some pockets that report higher number of arrests but these figures need to be understood in light of the area’s unique circumstances and characteristics. Several factors affect crime like population size, density and composition; socioeconomic conditions like employment and education; degree of urbanization etc. hence any insights we draw must be contingent upon the distinctive conditions affecting each locality. So if you are interested in knowing how your own county or city fared in terms of crime over 2012, take a look at the report here.