This indicator is part of Residents are safe.

Indicator description:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation collects crime data which are voluntarily submitted by local law enforcement agencies, including the Albuquerque Police Department. These crimes constitute an index called Part 1 crimes; the index includes violent crimes (homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) and property crimes (auto theft, burglary and larceny). The FBI cautions against drawing conclusions based on ranking or direct comparisons of different jurisdictions, and notes that crime is a community problem caused by social factors over which individual police departments have little or no control. Tucson reported violent crimes, but did not properly report property crimes for 2007

Why is this indicator relevant?

The crime rate is presented as a measure of the safety of residents. Crime has high costs to a community in terms of economic losses and it also negatively impacts citizens' quality of life and satisfaction. Fear of crime can cause residents to withdraw and to become less committed to their communities. Research suggests that violent crime, in particular, is linked with community instability, substance abuse, divorce, births to single mothers, and unequal socioeconomic conditions, among other causes. Property crimes are most strongly linked with economic conditions.

Data Source:
Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2008.

What can we tell from the data?

• Overall UCR Index crimes in Albuquerque were down 5.3% from 2006 to 2007; the overall 7 year trend is positive.
• Albuquerque's violent crime rate is the highest since 2002, and is highest among peer cities.
• Albuquerque’s property crimes dropped 7.8% between 2006 and 2007.

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