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STATEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The FBI today released the preliminary Uniform Crime Report statistics for the first six months of 2000. The Attorney General issued the following statement:

• "I am pleased to report that crime is now down for eight consecutive years and preliminary data for 2000 shows that it continues to decline. In the first six months of this year, overall violent and property crime experienced a slight decrease and murder continued to decline nationwide. Our communities are safer than they have been in a generation and this is good news for American families.

• "The programs and policies we have implemented along with the partnerships between federal, state and local law enforcement have contributed to the historic decrease in the crime rate. The Administration has made grants to fund over 100,000 new police officers through the COPS program. We secured passage of the Brady Act and have kept guns out of the hands of over 600,000 people who are prohibited from having them. Gun crime has been reduced 40% and homicide is at its lowest point in 33 years.

• "Today's report also shows crime edging up in certain areas. That is why we must not become complacent. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to identify these trends and continue to implement innovative programs that will keep our communities safe well into the future."

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