The FBI has made a significant update to its crime report for 2022, revealing that violent crime actually rose by 4.5 percent during that year, marking a departure from previous claims of a decline.

This revision comes during the second full year of the Biden-Harris administration.

On June 11, 2024, Joe Biden made statements suggesting that his administration’s policies had effectively reduced crime rates.

FREE MAGA Hat! Claim Yours Today – Just Pay Shipping

He claimed, “You know, the year before I came to the presidency, the murder rate was the highest increase on record. Last year, we saw the largest decrease of murder in the history of (inaudible). (Applause.) And those rates are continuing to fall faster than ever. Last year, we also saw one of the lowest rates of all violent crime in nearly 50 years. Murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery all dropped sharply, along with burglary and property crime.”

These comments were made in the context of a broader discussion on public safety and crime prevention.

However, on June 24, 2024, Breitbart News conducted a fact-check on the FBI report that indicated lower crime figures for 2022.

The investigation revealed that the report was incomplete, as thousands of police precincts failed to submit crime data. This discrepancy raised questions about the accuracy of the initial findings.

In the following months, various media outlets scrutinized the FBI report, leading to a correction by the federal agency.

On October 16, 2024, Real Clear Investigations noted that when the FBI first released the final crime data for 2022 in September 2023, it reported a 2.1 percent decrease in the nation’s violent crime rate.

This figure quickly became a talking point for Democrats seeking to counter claims made by former President Donald Trump about rising crime rates.

The FBI’s updated data now shows a notable increase in violent crime for 2022.

NEW: FBI updates crime statistics showing that violent crime *increased* not decreased.

Trump was fact-checked during the debate after he (correctly) asserted that crime had increased.

New data reveals violent crime increased in 2022 by 4.5%, not decreased like the left… pic.twitter.com/ky4Y2pPf6j

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 16, 2024

Specifically, there were 1,699 more murders reported than initially indicated, along with 7,780 additional rapes, over 33,000 more robberies, and more than 37,000 additional aggravated assaults.

The FBI just “found” an additional

1,699 murders
7,780 rapes
33,459 robberies
37,091 aggravated assaults

in 2022.

So, violent crime skyrocketed under Kamala & Biden.

Make America Safe Again. Vote Trump.

— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) October 16, 2024

Professor Carl Moody, a crime researcher at the College of William & Mary, commented on the FBI’s corrections, noting that such extensive revisions have not occurred in previous years. “I have checked the data on total violent crime from 2004 to 2022; there were no revisions from 2004 to 2015, and from 2016 to 2020, there were small changes of less than one percentage point. The huge changes in 2021 and 2022, especially without an explanation, make it difficult to trust the FBI data,” he said.

The significant revision of crime statistics raises concerns about the reliability of data used to inform public policy and public safety measures.

After Democrats and journalists have spent the entire election cycle claiming that crime is down, the FBI three weeks before an election revises their crime statistics showing that crime increased by 4.5% in 2022 instead of dropping 2.1%.

Incredible. pic.twitter.com/3wgaEsQoID

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 16, 2024

With the election season approaching, the revised crime data may influence public opinion and the narrative surrounding crime rates as voters assess the performance of the current administration.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Objectivist. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.