Crime rates leveling off

View this link.
According to the Justice Department, the crime rate of our nation remained unchanged in 2004 from 2003. The violent crime rate from 2004 was 21.4 victims for every 1,000 people compared to 22.6 vicitms per 1,000 people in 2003. Violent crimes include assault, sexual assault, and armed robbery; however, murder cannot be included in this category because the FBI's study is based on statements of crime victims. Burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft also went slightly down in 2004, dropping from 163 to 161 cases for every 1,000 people. Why the decrease in violent crime? There are quite a few explanations including record highs in prison population, the addition of more than 100,000 police officers since the 1990's, and the thought that maybe terrorism may have decreased street crime.