Crime Rate

Downtown Atlanta.

Downtown Atlanta.

Cayla Vanderzanden, Staff Writer

America has never been viewed as an overly safe place. There are cities like Atlanta, where crime has always run rampant. The over-all crime rate has continued to be sky high, especially compared to the rest of the world. However, these past years, crime rate has dramatically lowered throughout the country. Although our world is improving in many aspects, citizens still have this false idea that it is only getting more dangerous and over-all much worse.

According to a website titled www.crimeinamerican.net and discovered facts that made me feel very patriotic. Our world is so sheltered these days; though the year 2014 has the lowest murder rate since 1960. Why is that? We have an opportunity to take advantage of this, though we don’t. I believe this is due to the fact that news channels focus on the negative aspects of the world, so that’s all people seem to know. We miss out on the highlights. Why this would help the media, is a question I can’t seem to answer. According to the FBI, the American crime rates are the lowest they have been in over forty years! When my parents were young, they roamed the streets when crime was at its worst; now when it’s far better I can’t go more than a mile away from my own home. Having a buddy system won’t save our lives when it really comes down to it. We contain these irrational and overwhelming fears about crime that have no actual statistical proof.

The most shocking part about this information is the fact that the media chooses not to broadcast this information to the public. Crime rates are an entire 1/3 lower than they were before. That’s something the public wants and needs to know. Our country in all regions, and as a whole, is safer. If we knew this, I believe our fears over safety would partially dissipate and that would only help as a nation. I strongly hope America will continue to grow into an even safer nation and these recent statistics only back up my hopes for our country. Hopefully, as the shocking facts continue to grow and our crime continues to go down, the media attention will come. There is no use in being so fearful of something that isn’t needed to be feared.