Crime in the U.S. fell significantly in the first half of 2024, according to the latest data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The figures provide a boost for Vice President Harris’s campaign, strengthening her “tough on crime” credentials in the midst of Donald Trump’s attacks on her record.
On Monday, the FBI released its preliminary figures on crime in the U.S., which showed a 10.3 percent drop in violent crimes committed between January and June compared to the same period in 2023.
Most significantly, murders fell by 22.7 percent, with reported rapes and robberies dropping by 17.7 percent and 13.6 percent, respectively.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at FEMA headquarters, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Washington. The latest FBI statistics showed showed a 10.3 percent drop in violent crimes committed between January and June compared to the same period in 2023.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo
The preliminary figures – which were gathered from around 77 percent of law enforcement agencies across the country – follow the annual Crime in the Nation statistics, released by the Bureau on September 23, which showed a roughly three percent drop in violent crime from 2022 to 2023, as well as an 11.6 percent drop in murder and non-negligent manslaughter, and a 9.4 percent decline in rape.
The two announcements are likely cause for celebration for the Democrats, given Trump’s frequent characterizations of the Biden-Harris administration as soft on crime.
On Sunday, Trump told rallygoers in Erie, Pennsylvania that Harris should be “impeached and prosecuted” for allowing an “invasion” at the southern border, and suggested that “one really violent day” would put an end to crime in the state.
The issue ranks highly in voters’ priorities, according to a late August-early September Pew poll, in which 61 percent of registered voters said that violent crime was “very important” to their decision.
While Trump has maintained a slight edge on this issue in the campaign so far, his lead is far from decisive.
According to a September poll from YouGov, 54 percent of respondents believed Trump would handle the issue “very” or “somewhat well” if elected, compared to 46 percent for Harris.
However, a late-August poll from Reuters and Ipsos showed Harris tied with Trump on crime and corruption, both holding 40 percent, changed from a five-point lead for Trump in July.
Similarly, a mid-September poll conducted by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that the two candidates were evenly matched on the issue, both receiving 38 percent of the vote when respondents were asked who would do a better job of handling crime.
While the cause of the promising new figures is unclear, the Biden-Harris administration has credited the drop in violent crime to its policies.
In August, the president claimed that the American Rescue Plan, signed into law in March 2021, had cut homicides significantly by “deliver[ing] $15 billion to cities and states to invest in public safety and violence prevention, keeping cops on the beat while working with community leaders to interrupt and prevent crime.”
“Americans are safer today than when Vice President Harris and I took office,” the statement read. “We can’t stop now.”
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