ATLANTA — FBI data released Tuesday showed violent crime dropped more than 10% in the state of Georgia last year.
Crime in the United States decreased in every category in 2024, data showed.
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The FBI’s report highlights a significant decline in violent crimes, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Nationally, violent crime dropped by 4.5% compared to the previous year.
Channel 2’s Michael Seiden sat down with Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Division to discuss the change.
“I think any violent crime is unacceptable, and everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their communities, their homes,” Brown said.
The FBI’s report indicated that murders decreased by almost 15% nationwide, while Georgia saw about a 5% drop. Rape also saw a decline, with a 5% reduction across the U.S. and nearly 7% in Georgia.
Despite the positive trends, the report noted that a violent crime still occurred on average every 25.9 seconds in the U.S. last year.
Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of officers shot in the line of duty.
The report did not list possible reasons for the decline. Brown emphasized the importance of public trust and cooperation.
“The trust and cooperation of the public is essential. And so that’s something that’s really important to me, is that engagement,” he said.
Brown also mentioned the ongoing efforts to address crime.
“We’re going to stay focused on this, continue to surge resources, continue to utilize every authority and tool we have available, and also looking at, how do we increase our partnerships and collaboration with other agencies,” he said.
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