WASHINGTON – It’s still a jungle out there – even if it’s not as bad as it used to be.
The nation’s violent crime plummeted a record 15 percent last year, although the drop in the murder rate has leveled off, declining only 1.1 percent last year, according to a study released by the Justice Department yesterday.
Overall, there were 1 million fewer attacks on Americans last year than in 1999, the steepest one-year drop in 30 years.
“This is a very important step forward,” insisted Attorney General John Ashcroft.
But critics said the report was misleading because the biggest drops were in simple assaults, which could be nothing more than a push and a shove.
There were no state-by-state breakdowns, but the biggest drops were in the East.Violent crimes fell from 33 per 1,000 people in 1999 to 28 last year.