Many cities have seen homicides reach record highs in the past year. Chicago Police investigated 797 last year, the highest number since 1996. But more than 800 homicides have occurred in the city, including highway shootings, which are being investigated by a other body.
Homicides are also up 12% in Los Angeles from 2020 and 4% in New York. Several cities did not respond to CNN’s data requests; the number of cities reporting year-over-year increases could increase.
Homicides increased in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and subsequent unrest in cities across the country. For many cities, high homicide rates continued into 2021.
These increases are not isolated from any region. Year over year increases do not always portend a significant increase in crime. But almost all major US cities recorded more homicides in 2020 and 2021 than in 2019. Homicides rose sharply in the summer of 2020 and have remained at high levels since.
At the same time, the institutions responsible for responding to the violence, including the police and community organizations, were also under pressure, Abt added, calling it a “perfect storm”.
According to the FBI’s 2020 Crimes Summary Report, the number of homicides that year began to increase during the summer months, peaking in June and July and remaining at high levels. It is almost impossible to paint a complete picture of homicides in the United States. The DUC report is the most comprehensive data set available, but the participation of law enforcement agencies is voluntary.
About 85% of the nation’s more than 18,000 agencies have submitted their crime data for 2020 to the FBI. The DUC 2021 report is unlikely to be released until the end of this year.