ARE OREGONIANS SAFER FROM CRIME TODAY?

The title of this article sparks the questions of, “safer than when?” and “measured by what standard?” Let’s start with the “standard” first.

MEASURED BY WHAT STANDARD?  INDEX CRIME

Since the 1930s, the FBI has been keeping track of “index” crimes.  Every year, local, state, and national law enforcement agencies report their jurisdictions’ crime statistics to the FBI.  The reporting is voluntary, although many states have passed laws requiring the submission of the data.  Index crime is the standard normally used to measure whether crime is going up or down.  There are 7 index crimes broken down into violent and property crimes. [ Read More ]