“How safe is America? Don’t expect the complete answer when the FBI releases the 2016 data from the national Uniformed Crime Reporting program this month. These crime statistics provide a barometer of reported crime; one measure of safety for the country.
“They also provide rhetorical opportunities — on both sides of the aisle — for trumpeting success when crime is down, or beating the drum for new policies and more resources when it is up. However, recent history has taught us that data on crime is vulnerable to misinterpretation and that inaccurate stories about spiking crime rates can quickly take on a life of their own.”