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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 17 OcTOber 2023

FBI report: Violent crime decreases to pre-

pandemic levels, but property crime is on the rise

nearly two-fifths of all polic-
ing agencies failed to par-
ticipate, including big cities
like New York, Los Angeles
and Miami. That followed
a major overhaul in the re-
porting system.
For this year's report, the
FBI used data voluntarily
collected from agencies
using the newer National
Incident-Based Reporting The inside of a Reese's candy wrapper shows details of a
sweepstakes offer in this photo taken in Ann Arbor, MI., on
System, but also included Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
data from agencies still us- Associated Press
ing an older system, known
as the Summary Reporting
An FBI seal is seen on a wall on Aug. 10, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. System. That accounted, in Reese's $25,000
Associated Press
part, for the huge increase promotion may violate
in participating agencies.
By JIM SALTER justice professor emeritus The overhaul will eventu-
ally make crime data more sweepstakes laws
Associated Press at the University of Missouri-
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Violent St. Louis, said the drop in modern and detailed, fed-
crime across the U.S. de- violence can be attributed eral officials said, but the By DEE-ANN DURBIN
creased last year — drop- largely to the fact that the switchover can be com- AP Business Writer
ping to about the same "stresses and strains" asso- plicated for police depart- Reese's may be in violation of state and federal laws
level as before the onset of ciated with the pandemic ments. While the increase with its new sweepstakes offer currently advertised on
the COVID-19 pandemic have abated. in 2022 participation was packs of peanut butter cups.
— but property crimes rose "By and large what we're due in part to inclusion of The promotion on two-cup packages reads "You
substantially, according seeing is simply a return Summary Reporting System could win $25,000" and, in smaller print, "See details
to data in the FBI's annual to something approach- data, the FBI noted that an inside." But only after consumers have bought and
crime report released Mon- ing normal after the big additional 1,499 agencies opened a package can they see the small print: no
day. changes associated with submitted data through purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes.
The report comes with an the pandemic," Rosenfeld NIBRS. This year's report The Reese's contest was first reported Monday by Ed-
asterisk: Some law enforce- said. Despite the waning showed that while the gar Dworsky, a consumer advocate and former assis-
ment agencies failed to violence, property crimes the number of adult vic- tant attorney general in Massachusetts, who runs the
provide data. But a change jumped 7.1%, with motor tims of fatal gun violence Consumer World website.
in collection methods in vehicle thefts showing the decreased 6.6%, the esti- Hershey Co., that Pennsylvania candymaker that
compiling 2022 numbers biggest increase at 10.9%. mated number of juvenile owns the Reese's brand, didn't immediately respond
helped, and the FBI said the The FBI said carjackings in- victims rose 11.8%. Gun- to telephone and email messages left Monday by The
new data represents 83.3% creased 8.1% from 2021, safety advocates decry Associated Press.
of all agencies covering and the vast majority of the loosening of gun laws, Sweepstakes are primarily governed by state laws,
93.5% of the population. By carjackings involving an especially in conservative- which require that no purchase is necessary to partici-
contrast, last year's num- assailant with a weapon. leaning states around the pate. A contest that requires a purchase is a lottery,
bers were from only 62.7% Someone was injured in U.S. which is subject to different rules.
of agencies, representing more than a quarter of all Assaults on law enforce- Three federal agencies — Federal Trade Commission,
64.8% of Americans. carjackings. ment officers rose 1.8% the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S.
Violent crime dropped Rachael Eisenberg, man- compared to 2021. An Postal Service — also enforce laws governing sweep-
1.7%, and that included a aging director of rights estimated 31,400 of the stakes depending on the medium. The Postal Service
6.1% decrease in murder and justice for the Wash- 102,100 assaults resulted requires mailed sweepstakes offers to make clear that
and non-negligent man- ington, D.C.-based Center in injuries in 2022, up 1.7% no purchase is necessary, for example. The FTC doesn't
slaughter. Rape decreased for American Progress, said from the previous year. govern sweepstakes specifically, but has broad laws
5.4% and aggravated as- that while the FBI report Violent crime overall re- prohibiting "unfair and deceptive acts."
sault dropped 1.1%, but looks at 2022 data, more mains far lower than the The FTC said Monday that it can't comment on the
robbery increased 1.3%. recent statistics indicate historic highs of the 1990s. practices of particular companies outside of an inves-
Violent crime had also de- that the drop in violent While the direct impact has tigation. It wouldn't confirm or deny an investigation
creased slightly in 2021, a crime will continue through ebbed, Rosenfeld said the against Hershey.
big turnaround from 2020, this year. pandemic could still indi- Dworsky said a sign near Reese's candy displays mak-
when the murder rate in In fact, the FBI findings are rectly result in more crime. ing clear that no purchase is necessary might meet le-
the U.S. jumped 29% dur- in line with a report released The pandemic prompted gal requirements. But a spot check of candy displays
ing the pandemic that cre- in July by the nonpartisan many firms to allow em- in multiple states, including California, Virginia and
ated huge social disruption think tank the Council on ployees to work from home Washington, found no such signs.
and upended support sys- Criminal Justice. That re- some or all of the time. Dworsky noted that Reese's ran a similar promotion
tems. port using data from 37 Desolate city streets make earlier this year that ended in April using the same
The violent crime rate of surveyed cities found that crime more likely. packaging. Some of those packages are still for sale,
380.7 per 100,000 people murders dropped 9.4% in "The more people in the even though the sweepstakes code has expired, he
was a tick better than 2019 the first half of 2023 com- street, the more people dif- said.
— the year before the pan- pared to the first half of ficult it is for somebody to Dworsky said he's concerned that the packaging
demic hit the U.S., when the 2022, but vehicle thefts rose commit a crime because could lure consumers into thinking they need to buy it.
rate was 380.8 per 100,000 a whopping 33.5%. there are so many eyes "You never have to pay to play. All these packages
people. Last year's FBI report arrived on the street," Rosenfeld should be recalled," he said.q
Richard Rosenfeld, criminal with major caveats since said.q