RICHMOND, VA (WTVR) - Richmond has had a reputation in the past for violent crime. There were 120 murders in 1995, resulting in a murder rate of 59.1 killings per 100,000 residents, one of the highest in the United States.
Last year that number was down to 38, the lowest in the cities recorded history.
That good news is not just limited to homicides. Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones announced Monday that the city had the lowest rate for violent crime ever in 2011.
Something Mayor Jones attributes to initiatives by both government and law enforcement, but the news comes with a grain of salt.
While violent crimes are decreasing property crimes are on the rise. Vehicle theft and burglary are up from 2010 to 2011.
Richmond Police are expected to release a full report later today, but CBS 6 pulled numbers from their database, this is what we found:
Homicide is down, from 43 in 2010 to 38 in 2011.
Sex offenses are down, from 150 cases in 2010 to 127 in 2011.
Assaults are down, from 5065 cases in 2010 to 4686 cases in 2011.
Robbery is down, from 730 cases in 2010 to 675 cases in 2011.
However, vehicle theft is up, from 867 cases in 2010 to 925 cases in 2011. Burglary also saw a spike, up from 1766 cases in 2010 to 1888 in 2011.
Still Mayor Jones says he remains optimistic; Richmond saw a 10% reduction in homicides and a 5% reduction in other violent crimes, figures he says exceed the national average.
"Many of us have lived through a time, when our crime statistic were nothing to brag about, as a matter of fact they were statistics that made us very sad, but today I want to report to you they are in a better posture. The city continues to become safer," Jones said during a City Council luncheon Monday.
Richmond's rate of major crime, including violent and property crimes, decreased 47 percent between 2004 and 2009 to its lowest level in more than a quarter of a century.
