Report Shows Utah Crime Rate Falling

Aug 18, 2008 by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) A new report from the Utah Foundation shows that the state's crime rates fell below the national average in 2006, making it the first time since the early 90s. The report's author, Sarah Taylor, says during that time the state increased funding for law enforcement.

"There was a bit of a correlation with the decline in crime. It has been very encouraging to see that the per capita expenditures have been steadily increasing over the years and we've been closing that gap with the national average," says Taylor.

The report shows that between 1991 and 2005, Utah increased its per capita spending on police protection 61% compared to the national average of just 35%.

The bad news is the state ranked 21st in the country in the rate of forcible rape, although that is down from its rank of 13 in 2004. Taylor says overall the state ranks 46th in the nation in terms of violent crime.

"We have always followed national trends in crime rate and so we have the same peaks and valleys as the U.S. overall, but we've always been much, much lower," says Taylor. "As of right now we have well below half of the national incidents of violent crime."

According to the report, larceny accounts for most of the crimes in the state at nearly 70%. Tune into KCPW's Public Square this morning at 11 am for a longer conversation on the Utah Foundation report. A link to the report is available here.

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