U.S. Violent Crime Rises at Pace Unseen in 10 Years

Enlarge Jeremy VanderKnyff, NPR

Preliminary figures for 2005 indicate a 2.5 percent increase in the number of violent crimes compared with 2004. Click to see previous years' figures.

Jeremy VanderKnyff, NPR

Preliminary figures for 2005 indicate a 2.5 percent increase in the number of violent crimes compared to 2004.

Enlarge Jeremy VanderKnyff, NPR

The nation's four regions all saw increases in violent crime in 2005. The Midwest experienced the steepest jump, 5.7 percent.

Jeremy VanderKnyff, NPR

The nation's four regions all saw increases in violent crime in 2005. The Midwest experienced the steepest jump, 5.7 percent.

Enlarge Jeremy VanderKnyff, NPR

Violent crime is down in cities with a population of 1 million or more, but has risen in smaller cities. Click to see a comparison.

Jeremy VanderKnyff, NPR

Violent crime is down in cities with a population of 1 million or more, but has risen in smaller cities.

Violent crime across the nation is up. For the first time since 2001, there are more murders, rapes and assaults, according to the FBI.

But violent crime didn't just rise last year. According to the numbers, it jumped 2.5 percent. That's the biggest increase since 1991, when the country was battling gangs and the crack epidemic.

According to the report, cities with less than a quarter-million people had the largest increases -- homicides alone were up 12 percent last year.

Criminologist speculate that there are several reasons for the rise in violent crime: cutbacks in federal law enforcement grants, a focus on terrorism, a nationwide resurgence in gang activity and signs of increasing youth violence as children born in the 1990s become teenagers.

Justice Department officials say crime-fighting has been a priority of the Bush administration for the past six years and point to millions of dollars the Justice Department has spent on anti-gang initiatives and community programs such as Project Safe Neighborhoods.

The report wasn't all bad. Some of the nation's largest cities, including Los Angeles and New York, continue to show a drop in violent crime. The complete report will be released this fall.