COLUMBUS – Violent crime declined in Columbus during the first half of 2018, compared to the same period the year before, thanks in large part to a dramatic decrease in homicides in the wake of year when the city saw a record number of murders.
The FBI’s Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, released Monday, showed the number of violent crimes reported between January and June 2018 decreased by 9 percent compared with the same period in 2017.
The 54 murders reported during the first half of the year was 22 percent lower than the 69 reported during the same period the year before, when the city was on pace to set a record for homicides, with 143 for the year.
The number of rapes report declined 21 percent and armed robberies were down 9 percent.
The preliminary report, based on data from more than 14,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide that voluntarily reported their crime figures to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, showed declines in both violent crime and property crime nationwide.
The report showed nearly all offenses in the violent crime category declined, with the exception of rape, which increased 0.6 percent.
When comparing data from the first six months of 2018 with the first six months of 2017, property crime categories showed a decrease in Columbus and nationwide.
The only increases came in the number of motor vehicle thefts, 9 percent higher than in 2017, and arson with seven reported, compared with five the year before.