By Jason Szep Sun Aug 20, 10:27 AM ET
[...]
>From Kansas City, Missouri, to Indianapolis, Indiana,
places that rarely attract notice on annual
FBI crime surveys are seeing significant increases in
murder. Boston, once a model city in America's battle
against gun violence, is poised to eclipse last year's
homicide tally, which was the worst in a decade.
Explanations vary -- from softer gun laws to budget cuts, fewer police on the beat, more people in poverty and simple complacency. But many blame a national preoccupation with potential threats from abroad.
"Since September 11, much of the resources that were distributed to crime-fighting efforts in Boston and other major cities were redistributed to fight terrorism," said Jack Levin, director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University.
"The feds had supported after-school programs. They had supported placing more police officers in crime hot spots in major cities. These federal efforts were reduced," he said.
VIOLENT CRIMES INCREASE
A 2005 Federal Bureau of Investigation crime report, issued last month, showed violent crime increasing for the first time in four years in 2005, up 2.5 percent from the year before, with medium-size cities and the Midwest leading the way.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060820/pl_nm/crime_usa_dc