Highlights
Is there a correlation between the media’s lack of coverage of the President’s cognitive abilities before the debate and their inaccurate portrayal of crime statistics?
Media have ignored a 2023 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics showing huge increases in crime. Even when it’s brought to their attention, it’s still dismissed. Why?
Author
Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.
Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention and Statistics for the Department of Justice’s clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Former Adjunct Associate Professor of Criminology and Public Affairs-University of Maryland, University College. Former police officer. Retired federal senior spokesperson.
Former advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Former advisor to the “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime” national media campaign. Produced successful state anti-crime media campaigns.
Thirty-five years of directing award-winning (50+) public relations for national and state criminal justice agencies. Interviewed thousands of times by every national news outlet, often with a focus on crime statistics and research. Created the first state and federal podcasting series. Produced a unique and emulated style of government proactive public relations.
Certificate of Advanced Study-The Johns Hopkins University.
Author of “Success With The Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization” available at Amazon and additional booksellers.
Opinion
Unofficial preliminary data from the FBI in 2023 shows modest reductions in violent and property crime.
Unofficial preliminary data from the FBI for the first quarter of 2024 shows substantial reductions in crime.
Is FBI data an accurate portrayal of crime?
The Facts:
Per the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the US Department of Justice, 42 percent of violent crimes are reported to law enforcement. Thirty-two percent of property crimes are reported to the police.
The big reductions for the first quarter of 2024 are unreliable per many experts writing about crime.
4,000 police agencies did not participate in crime reporting to the FBI in 2023.
Is Reported Crime Decreasing?
For 2023, there was a PRELIMINARY-UNOFFICIAL decrease in violent crimes of 3 percent for metropolitan areas. There was a 5.7 percent overall decrease in violence for the entire country.
For 2022, the OFFICIAL FBI figures offer mixed results in different crime categories.
The FBI’s crime statistics estimates for 2022 show that national violent crime decreased an estimated 1.7% in 2022 compared to 2021 estimates.
Conclusions
This article highlights the discrepancies between reported crime statistics and the actual crime rate based on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The media’s portrayal of crime trends may not always reflect the true nature of crime in the country, as there are significant gaps in reported crime data.
It is essential to consider more accurate sources of crime data, such as the National Crime Victimization Survey, to get a comprehensive understanding of crime trends.
The mainstream media’s role in shaping public perceptions of crime and the President’s cognitive abilities is crucial, and there is a need for more transparency and accuracy in reporting.
