Individual Assignment: Crime Data Comparison Paper

Utilize FBI Uniform Crime Report data and select one offense, such as burglary, in two
metropolitan areas.
Choose metropolitan areas with different data.
Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper comparing the occurrence of the offense in the selected areas. Identify
the number of occurrences reported to the police for each area, and address the following questions:

Which area had more reported incidents?
What were the rates of the crime for each area?
Did the rates change over time in either area?
What factors might explain the differences in the rates?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.



















The following paper will compare motor vehicle theft as it is reported in the FBI Uniform
Crime Report database in 2011 corresponding to two specific metropolitan areas: New Orleans,
LA and Seattle, WA. According to information obtained by the FBA Uniform Crime Report
(2011), New Orleans reported 2,540 motor vehicle thefts in 2011 while Seattle reported 3,400.
The numbers for New Orleans have actually increased since 2010 as New Orleans reported
2,410. Seattle, on the other hand, showed a decrease from the previous year as they reported
3,453 in 2010. This information indicates that vehicle theft crime is becoming a more serious
problem in New Orleans while it seems to be slightly decreasing in Seattle. Another important
aspect of these statistics which should be noted is the population differences between the two
areas. Although Seattle shows higher overall statistics, their population is nearly twice the size
of New Orleans at 618,209. New Orleans reports a population of 346,974. To understand how
the two cities statistics actually rank, the amount of vehicle thefts per population should be
compared. In order to calculate this, the amount of vehicle thefts in each city will be divided by
the population of the correlating city. The following shows the amount of motor vehicle thefts in
New Orleans per person in 2011:
2,540/346,974=0.007320
This indicates that in New Orleans, had approximately .007 vehicle thefts per person in 2011.
The following shows the amount of motor vehicle thefts in Seattle per person in 2011:
3,400/618,209=0.00549
The results of this calculation indicate that Seattle had around .005 vehicle thefts per person in
2011 which shows that the citys vehicle theft rates are actually lower than New Orleans when
population density is considered.
Understanding crime statistics as related to population is very important as it allows for
better comparison to different metropolitan areas. At first glance, it appeared that Seattle had
higher incidents of vehicle theft than New Orleans, but when considering the much higher
population density of Seattle, it is revealed that New Orleans is actually considering a more
serious problem in this area. An analysis of the previous year also reveals that Seattle had
improved its crime rates in vehicle theft while New Orleans revealed an increase.
There are several factors which could contribute to these differences in statistics. These
include demographical information such as poverty and crime rates in other areas. This specific
factor could be explored further by analyzing income statistics in both areas. The United States
Census Database provides this information for 2011. According to information obtained from
the census, the median household income in New Orleans for 2011 was $37,325 (Par. 1). In
contrast, the median household income for Seattle for 2011 was $60,665 (Par. 5). The
differences are very telling and suggesting of the reasons behind crime differences between the
two areas. Lower income can lead to higher theft crime as individuals are in greater need or
desire of vehicles and are therefore more willing to commit such crimes. An analysis of other
types of crime within these two cities can also reveal more information about the higher vehicle
crime rates in New Orleans. For example, if one city is experiencing high amounts of crime in
burglary in general, then this could easily transfer into vehicle burglary as well. A further
analysis of the FBI Crime Report database reveals that in 2011, New Orleans experienced 1,059
(.003 occurrences per person) cases of robbery while Seattle experienced 1,418 (.002
occurrences per person) cases of robbery (Par. 15). This reveals that New Orleans has higher
overall cases of theft per person than Seattle. Other factors which could affect differences
include law enforcement availability and spending. It is already revealed that Seattle has a higher
median income than New Orleans, which implies higher state income tax. Perhaps Seattle
allocates more funding toward law enforcement in relation to vehicle theft prevention, which
would also explain why the city was able to improve statistics between 2010 and 2011.
Crime statistics can be quite telling about metropolitan areas, but it is important to
consider other factors when comparing two areas. These factors include population density,
income, crimes in other areas, and law enforcement funding. New Orleans and Seattle show
differing statistics, but there are a lot of possible factors which could conclude why Seattle
experiences less motor vehicle thefts per person than New Orleans.















References
Crime in the United States by Metropolitan Statistical Area, 2011. (2011). FBI Crime
Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-
u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-6
Orleans Parish, Louisiana. (2011). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved from
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22/22071.html
Seattles Population and Demographics. (2011). Seattle.gov. Retrieved from
https://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Research/Population_Demographics/Overview/