Crime rates in the U.S. have experienced a significant shift over the past 30 years. Specifically, violent crime rates have faced varying changes over recent years.
FBI statistics report a 49% national decrease in violent crime rates between 1993-2017. Domestic factors, such as changing a political environment and cultural dynamics, contribute to a variety of fluctuations in crime-related trends.
Although national reports suggest a declining trend, statistics neglect to illustrate the whole story., 25 U.S. cities associate with rising violent crimes rates in annual statistic comparisons. Sioux Falls had the second highest annual spike.
How Sioux Falls stacks up to other cities
National research fails to address that violent crime tends to be more of a local issue. Violence rates tend to reflect an opposite effect of national trends. Metro cities across the country are confronted with a shocking reality. Incidences of violent crime has climbed over 30% in the top U.S. metro areas.
The correspondence between the two variables suggest that violent crime offenses may be on the rise. However, it leaves confusion on exactly what contributes to these rates. Demographics within these statistics categorize crimes, such as murder, assault, kidnapping, rape and burglary.
Trends in violent crime in Sioux Falls
South Dakota General’s office provided public data that has tracked violent crime rates specifically over the past decade. When analyzing this type of information, it is essential to compare these trends in consideration to population growth. This study shows that for 2008-2017, statewide population growth had increased by 8.3%, while the violent crime rates climbed to 29%.
What these reports don’t show is the external forces that influence these statistics. For example, law enforcement for this area also increased over this time period. Specifically, Sioux Falls officials have been cracking down on arrests pertaining to drug use and trade. Analytics report an increase of 553 drug related arrests between 2016 to 2017.
National statistics have several limitations in determining relevancy of the data it provides. Reports can appear skewed and neglect to address the local conditions of a community.