The FBI has quietly revised its 2022 crime statistics, undercutting earlier claims that violent crime had decreased by 2.1%. The revision, which was not highlighted in the Bureau’s September 2024 press release, shows a significant increase in violent crime, with overall crime rising by 4.5% instead of declining as previously reported.
In September 2023, the FBI reported a 2.1% drop in crime, a statistic used by Democrats and media figures to dismiss Republican claims that crime was on the rise. However, a “stealth edit” to the data, first noted by Real Clear Politics co-founder Tom Bevan, reveals that violent crime is actually up by 4.5%.
The new figures reflect 80,029 additional violent crimes, including 1,699 murders, 7,780 rapes, 33,459 robberies, and 37,091 aggravated assaults compared to 2021, as reported by The Daily Wire.
Real Clear Investigations (RCI) uncovered the revision after spotting an obscure statement on the FBI’s website, which mentioned the update without clarifying its nature. The update was only apparent to those who compared the revised 2022 data with the original release from 2023. This revision is particularly concerning because it marks a significant change compared to previous years, where data revisions were generally minimal or nonexistent.C
This sudden revision calls into question the reliability of the FBI’s crime data, complicating ongoing debates about crime rates and public safety.
