A recent survey of major US cities shows violent crime is declining nationwide, but it’s growing in some of North Carolina’s major cities, such as Charlotte and Raleigh.
An uptick in violent crime in major US cities can be seen from the first half of 2023, according to a mid-year survey, comparing current rates to the mid-year report from 2019. The survey accounts for homicide, robbery, rape, and aggravated assault.
So far this year, as of June 30, Charlotte has racked up 61 homicides, 121 rapes, 667 robberies, and 2,844 aggravated assaults. Overall, the Queen City saw an increase from 2023 in homicide, robbery, and aggravated assault. Rapes in Charlotte were down.
In North Carolina’s Capital City, Raleigh, violent crime rates are also spiking. The City of Oaks has had 16 homicides, 98 rapes, 193 robberies, and 543 aggravated assaults, marking a similar spike.
So far this year (as of June 30th), Durham has seen 25 homicides, 87 rapes, 226 robberies, and 942 aggravated assaults. These numbers are up from 2023 by one homicide, seven rapes, and 35 aggravated assaults.
These numbers represent a substantial increase from the same year-to-date report in 2019.
As compared to 2019, homicide is up in Durham.
Raleigh has also seen a longer trending uptick in crime going back to before the pandemic in 2019.
While homicide has held steady, sex offense/forcible rapes and assaults have increased markedly.
“The Raleigh Police Department is committed to reducing violent crime through intelligence-led strategies and working collaboratively with the community,” Lt. Jason Borneo, PIO for the Raleigh Police Department, told the Carolina Journal in an email. “This requires us to engage in dialogue and conversations with the community to increase public safety and decrease quality-of-life issues. We recently held citywide community meetings to discuss the crime statistics above and received valuable feedback. We look forward to continuing our efforts by working with the community and our federal, state, and local partners to increase public safety in our city.”
The Asheville police department did not provide a breakdown of crime their crime statistics, but, they too have endured years-long increases in violent crime since 2019. Asheville’s crime spikes even landed the mountain town in national media.
“This year, the department has significantly enhanced city-wide crime prevention measures,” Mike Lamb, Asheville Chief of Police, told the Carolina Journal in an email. “By utilizing a data-driven approach, we’ve dedicated over 300 hours to continuously assess and identify specific areas in each district, allowing us to provide targeted recommendations for effective crime prevention efforts.”
While violent crime rates have declined nationally, rates are generally elevated above those seen in 2019. Decreases from extraordinarily high levels is w welcome sign, but crime rates are still up on larger time scales, and specifically in North Carolina’s metro-areas. Homicide in Charlotte increased by 35% from just 2023, and in Raleigh it almost doubled, according to a recent report.
“Crime rates in North Carolina rose significantly between 2019 and 2021.” Jon Guze, senior fellow in legal studies for the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal in an email. “They declined somewhat in 2022, but they’re still higher than they were, and they’re still much too high, especially in cities like Durham and Fayetteville. Unfortunately, due to falling clearance rates, crime seems unlikely to go down on its own. A recent survey of violent crime just released by The Major Cities Association of Police Chiefs finds that in Charlotte and Raleigh, violent crime was significantly higher in the first half of 2024 than in the same period in 2023. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we know what to do about the crime problem. Deploying more well-trained, well-paid police officers in high-crime, high-disorder neighborhoods is a proven method for deterring crime. All we need is the political will do it.”