Does anybody think these violent incidents have increased quite a bit over these last few years? Some of these appear to be “personally targeted victim” incidents (UCLA, Purdue, USC) but it just strikes me that we read about some type of violence on campus more and more frequently. I wonder why.
24/7 news probably has something to do with it.
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm
Violent crime rates rose in 2015 relative to 2014, but were still the lowest since 1971 other than 2013 and 2014. Murder rates rose in 2015 relative to 2014, but were still the lowest since 1964 other than 2010 to 2014.
But it is likely that most people believe that crime is higher than in the “good old days”. Peak crime rates in the early 1990s were about double that of recent crime rates.
the profit motive and the 24/7 news cycle. You gotta jump on the clickworthy news today or else your competitor posts it first! People feel more vulnerable due to media exposure vs. reality according to crime statistics.
I live in one of the top ten safest cities in the country, statistically. But my wife wouldn’t let my kids play out in the front yard because she thought someone would snatch them. Perception vs. reality.
I agree with the increased reporting accounting for a lot of the perception. They are also many many more students on college campuses than there used to be so more people potentially to commit crimes.
On a macro level crime rates are down. However, in some areas they are definitely up due to area specific factors.