New survey shows homicide rates dropping nationwide, but violent crime is up

A new survey published by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) showed that in the middle of 2022, nationwide homicide rates dropped, but violent crime in general is on the rise across the United States.

The MCCA, an organization that represents police in large cities across the United States and Canada, puts out an annual survey revealing the state of violent crime in major cities.

The latest survey, published on August 5, revealed an uptick in overall violent crime, including aggravated assault and robbery, in the United States in the last 6 months, while rapes and homicides decreased slightly in the same time period. In Canada, the survey showed an increase in all violent crimes, including homicide and rape.

The rate of homicides in the US decreased from 4,624 to 4,511 from 2021 to mid-2022. Rapes went down from 16,371 to 15,541. This is a significant decrease from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, when violent crimes began increasing nationwide in the United States. 

The MCCA also focused heavily on the rise in gun violence across the United States and recommended several steps that would help curb the growing number of crimes involving firearms in the country.

The organization identified some specific causes of the uptick in gun violence, particularly the causes of more firearms being located on the streets in major US cities.

“While the proliferation of guns tends to ebb and flow, MCCA members reported two factors responsible for driving up the number of guns on the streets – theft and fraud; theft from vehicles and residences, and unemployment and government assistance fraud,” the report reads.

Police chiefs in the US are sounding the alarm on rising violent crime and hoping for an end to the pandemic-era and its economic challenges.

“The socio-economic issues associated with the pandemic…it’s leading to a lot of incidents on the street where we’re seeing these spontaneous assaults,” said head of the investigative bureau for the LA District Attorney, Robert Arcos, to Axios. 

The MCCA report confirms Arcos’ statement in its latest survey, saying “As our nation continues to work through the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, political divisiveness, social unrest, and economic hardships, it is necessary to take a serious look at the increase in gun violence plaguing our major cities across the country.”