Data Gaps Allow Campaigns to ‘Pick and Choose’ Their Own Crime Story: Criminologist

While most experts agree that per-capita violent crime rates are dropping, many say incomplete FBI crime reports exaggerate those declines.

(L–R) Washington state Rep. Roger Goodman, University of Miami Sociology and Criminology Chair Alex Piquero, and Arizona State University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Director Beth Huebner participate in a “True Crime” discussion at the National Conference of State Legislators’ annual Legislative Summit in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 7, 2024. John Haughey/The Epoch Times

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Crime is a standard election issue, but rarely have parties and candidates offered such starkly polar narratives about public safety than in 2024 campaigns, criminal justice experts say.

That’s not surprising when local and state law enforcement agencies define, collect, and report crime data differently, and at different times, leading to incomplete statistics that allow candidates to “pick and choose what story to tell,” maintains professor Alex Piquero, sociology and criminology chair at the University of Miami.