University of Chicago criminologist John Roman argues Americans are misleading themselves into thinking crime — especially in cities — is running rampant by their perception of ‘disorder’ being associated with danger. “People confuse disorder and crime, so the presence of a lot of disorder can signal to regular folks that they are in a dangerous place, when they aren’t necessarily in a dangerous place,” Roman told NBC in a recent interview, arguing that while American cities may be more chaotic, crime itself has gone down.

Roman’s comments come on the heels of new FBI crime data, which shows slight drops in the rate of murder, reported violent crime, and theft in 2023. According to the University of Chicago criminologist, the drop was partly fueled by renewed law enforcement funding and a return to pre-pandemic norms. “After a terrible period of underfunding and understaffing caused by the pandemic, local governments have, by most measures, returned to pre-pandemic levels,” Roman said, adding: “The courts were closed, a lot of cops got sick, a lot of police agencies told their officers not to interact with the public. Teachers were not in schools, not working with kids.”

Inconsistent Crime Data.

However, other experts warn the FBI figures are incomplete. The federal law enforcement agency only pulls data from about 79 percent of police departments nationwide. Additionally, local law enforcement can be inconsistent in reporting data to the FBI. The Appeal, which reports on crime and justice reform, notes that 50 percent of violent crimes, 70 percent of property crimes, and upwards of 75 percent of sexual assaults are never reported to local police.

A recent Gallup poll found that 77 percent of Americans believe crime is worsening. Additionally, 63 percent of Americans said the crime problem in America has become “extremely or very serious.” Washington, D.C. — the nation’s capital — saw severe spikes in murder and theft in 2023.