Comparative UCR Data, Essay Example

The FBI Uniform Crime Report is one method of investigating crime data. Here, data for two cities are compared for the data of murder. These cities are Los Angeles and New York. Certain questions are answered with respect to this data.

First, data was gathered via the FBI website. That data is reproduced below. Data for New York City is presented first. The top row represents years, and the bottom row represents the number of murders for the given year since 2000. The latest data available is from 2009.

Table 1. Murder Data, New York City

(Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics)

Next, the data for Los Angeles is presented. Again, the top row represents years, and the bottom row represents the number of murders for the given year since 2000. The latest data available is from 2009.

Table 2. Murder Data, Los Angeles

(Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics)

Now, a series of questions are answered about the data. Which area had more reported incidents? New York City had 5766 murders between 2000 and 2009. Los Angeles had 4885 for the same period (Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics).

What were the rates of the crime for each area? Total violent crime data fro New York during 2000 to 2009 follows. Again, the top row represents years, and the bottom row represents the violent crime data.

Table 3. Violent Crime Totals, New York City

The total is 581,029 violent crimes from 2000 to 2009.

The violent crime data for Los Angeles during 2000 to 2009 follows. Again, the top row represents years, and the bottom row represents the violent crime data.

Table 4. Violent Crime Totals, Los Angeles

The total is 386,511 violent crimes from 2000 to 2009 (Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics).

Did the rates change over time in either area? Comparative histograms are presented below.

It seems that violent crimes including murder have been on the decline since 2000 in both cities. What factors might explain the differences in the rates? One factor may be the decimalization of marijuana in Los Angeles. Another factor may be the systemic disruption of organized criminal activities in these areas.

The FBI Uniform Crime Report is one method of investigating crime data. Here, data for two cities are compared for the data of murder. These cities are Los Angeles and New York. Certain questions are answered with respect to this data. There appears to be a promising trend of reduced crime in both areas.

Work Cited

”Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics.” http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/Search/Crime/Local/RunCrimeTrendsInOneVarLarge.cfm, n.d., Web. 28 July 2011.