Homicides down but violent crime up in major US cities as midterms approach

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A midyear report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an association of police executives from the largest cities in the U.S. and Canada, found that violent crime in the U.S. continues to rise despite a slight drop in homicides as the midterms approach.

"While MCCA member agencies continue to develop new and innovative strategies to address rising violent crime, there is a distinct need to have a robust conversation regarding the driving factors and systematic failures that have contributed to the current state of affairs," the MCCA said in a press release that accompanied the report last month.

Surveying over 70 major U.S. law enforcement agencies, the report found that violent crime has increased by over 4% in 2022 when compared to 2021 numbers. Robberies and aggravated assaults have outpaced the increase in 2021, rising 13.1% over 2021 totals and aggravated assaults rising 2.6%.

However, the report found that the surge in homicides the country has experienced since 2020 may show signs of slowing, with homicides falling 2.4% in 2022 when compared to where they were midyear 2021. Rapes have also seen a decrease in frequency this year, falling 5.1% compared to the same point in 2021.

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President Biden arrives with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., on his way to speak from Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol to mark the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol by supporters loyal to then-President Trump, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Washington. (Bill Clark/Pool via AP)

"Compared to 2019 midyear figures, MCCA member cities have experienced a 50% increase in homicides and a roughly 36% increase in aggravated assaults. These shocking numbers demonstrate how the sustained increase in violent crime has disproportionately impacted major urban areas," the MCCA release said.

The report comes as November's midterm elections loom, with the rise in crime likely to be in the minds of voters as they cast their ballots. According to a FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos analysis, gun violence and crime ranks only behind inflation as the most important issue to voters ahead of the elections. The issue has also consistently ranked among the top issue to voters since April, when it passed political extremism as the second-highest priority for voters.

New York Police Department car. (iStock)

Experts have blamed pandemic restrictions and growing anti-police sentiment for the recent surge in crime, noting that law enforcement agencies have pulled back on enforcement as calls to defend police department have spread across the country.

"Certainly the pullback of the police as a result of first COVID, then George Floyd, then to the defund the police movement and the actions of far progressive prosecutors has definitely contributed to the increase in violence that we see on the streets of our major cities right now," Former Philadelphia Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Sullivan told Fox News Digital earlier this year.  

Chicago police attempted to pull over a carjacked vehicle and traded gunfire with the suspects, shooting one and taking two others into custody. (FOX32 Chicago WFLD)

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While Sullivan noted he understands the concerns some people have about police tactics, he warned that some policies have gone too far.

"We want to make sure that we're policing in a constitutionally correct way, but we do need to return to proactive policing," he said. "We can't continue on a path where we ignore all minor crimes because when you do that it just creates an atmosphere of chaos and disorder that does lead to more serious offenses."