Violent crime still on the rise, FBI data show

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Murders and robberies continued to rise across the country during the first six months of 2006, on pace for an increase in violent crime for a second straight year, preliminary FBI data released Monday show.
The numbers reflect what police across the country have been saying for months: that the lull in crime between 2001 and 2004 appears to be over. Last year, violent crime rose 2.2 percent nationally -- the first increase since 2001.
"This is a concern we've been focused on," said Gene Voegtlin, legislative counsel for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which represents an estimated 20,000 law enforcement officials and has been pushing for more crime-fighting funding. "A lot of [police] agencies are really stretched thin when it comes to the budget and their ability to aggressively combat crime."
From megalopolises to small cities, violent crime rose 3.7 percent between January and June compared to the first six months of 2005.
The Bush administration has asked for 1.2 billion in crime-fighting grants and assistance programs this year -- what Voegtlin described as at least a 1 billion hit from funding levels a decade ago.
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