For about a decade and a half, crime rates in the United States have generally fallen. That is the good news. The bad news is that even during those “good” years, the United States still had the most car thefts, the most rapes and the most murders in the world. And even though the United States has the most people in prison in the entire world by a large margin, there are all kinds of signs that there are still enough criminals out there for crime to start moving back up again. Sure, there are some areas that are still recording small decreases in the crime rate, but there are other areas where the jump in crime statistics is more than a bit alarming. There are millions of Americans that have been out of work for over a year at this point, and when people lose everything that they have they tend to totally lose it. People get desperate when they lose their homes and they don’t have anything to eat. For example, police in Chesterfield, Virginia are investigating 16 separate incidents just this month in which thieves stole food or drinks from homes, cars and even people walking on the street. It wasn’t money that these crooks were after. They just wanted something to eat. As the economy gets even worse over the next couple of years, it is inevitable that we are going to start to see a lot more of this kind of thing. Frustration and anger are on the rise from coast to coast, and when people don’t feel like they have anything to live for they become very dangerous.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, it is undeniable that violent crime rates are significantly lower than they were 15 or 20 years ago in many areas of the nation. An unprecedented standard of living fueled by our addiction to debt has kept most Americans fat, happy and generally sedated. However, there are indications that we are approaching a “turning point” – a moment when crime rates start to go up significantly once again.
In fact, there are some forms of crime (such as sexual crime against children) that are already at ridiculously high record-setting levels. For example, how in the world did we ever get to the point as a society where we have 400,000 registered sex predators running around?
As the economy continues to unravel, things are not going to get any better. In fact, people who are suffering are only going to become more desperate. Already, there are quite a few troubling signs out there. The following are 12 crime statistics that make you wonder what is happening to America….
#1 The murder rate in New York City has increased more than 15 percent in 2010, and the number of rapes has shot up from 943 in 2009 to 1075 so far this year.
#2 In the city of Detroit, crime has gotten so bad and the citizens are so frustrated by the lack of police assistance that they have resorted to forming their own organizations to fight back. One group, known as “Detroit 300”, was formed after a 90-year-old woman on Detroit’s northwest side was brutally raped in August.
#3 Crime in Miami Beach was up almost 11 percent during the first half of 2010.
#4 The murder rate in Tempe, Arizona is now the highest it has been in 10 years.
#5 Shoplifting is completely and totally out of control. According to the National Association of Shoplifting Prevention, every single day Americans steal more than $35 million worth of goods from retail stores.
#6 Today, there are approximately 400,00 registered sex offenders in the United States.
#7 U.S. authorities claim that there are now over 1 million members of criminal gangs operating inside the United States. According to federal statistics, these 1 million gang members are responsible for up to 80% of the violent crimes committed in the U.S. each year.
#8 The median age of the victims of imprisoned sex offenders in the United States is 13 years old.
#9 The crime rate in the San Diego school system is escalating out of control. The following is what San Diego School Police Chief Don Braun recently told the press about the current situation….
“Violent crime in schools has risen 31 percent. Property crime has risen 12 percent. Weapons violations (have gone up) almost 8 percent.”
#10 53 percent of all investigated burglaries in the states of California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Texas are perpetrated by illegal aliens.
#11 Law enforcement officials estimate that about 600,000 Americans and 65,000 Canadians are trading dirty child pictures online. They also say that the total profit from creating and trading these images is approximately two to three billion dollars every year.
#12 Each year, one out of every five people in the U.S. is victimized by crime. No other nation on the planet has a rate that is higher.
So will the police step in to protect us all as crime increases?
Well, unfortunately police forces all across the United States are being slashed because the money just isn’t there anymore.
So all of us may soon be facing much more crime with much fewer police to assist us.
For example, because of extreme budget cuts and police layoffs, Oakland, California Police Chief Anthony Batts has announced that there are a number of crimes that his department simply will no longer respond to due to a lack of resources. The following is a partial list of the crimes that police officers in Oakland will no longer be responding to….
- burglary
- theft
- embezzlement
- grand theft
- grand theft: dog
- identity theft
- false information to peace officer
- required to register as sex or arson offender
- dump waste or offensive matter
- loud music
- possess forged notes
- pass fictitious check
- obtain money by false voucher
- fraudulent use of access cards
- stolen license plate
- embezzlement by an employee
- extortion
- attempted extortion
- false personification of other
- injure telephone/power line
- interfere with power line
- unauthorized cable tv connection
- vandalism
Not that Oakland wasn’t already a mess before all this, but now how long do you think it will be before total chaos and anarchy reigns on the streets of Oakland?
But this kind of thing is not just happening in Oakland.
The sheriff’s department in Ashtabula County, Ohio has been reduced from 112 deputies to 49 deputies, and now there is just one vehicle remaining to patrol all 720 square miles of the county.
So what in the world are the citizens of that county supposed to do to protect themselves?
Well, Judge Alfred Mackey said that the citizens of the county should do the following….
“Arm themselves.”
So is that where all of this is going?
Every man and woman for themselves?
The truth is that there are already many communities across the United States where it is simply not a good idea to go out of your home at night.
There has never been a bigger gang problem in U.S. history than we are facing today, there have never been more sex predators running around, and millions of Americans are going to become increasingly desperate as they lose their homes and can’t find jobs.
So how is crime where you live? Feel free to leave a comment with what you are seeing in your neighborhood….