The FBI quietly changed violent crime data to show an increase, not a decrease, from 2021 to 2022

WASHINGTON (TNND) — The FBI has quietly adjusted its annual crime data to show an increase in violent crime from 2021 to 2022.

The agency previously claimed that violent crime fell from 2021 to 2022, citing an “estimated 1.7%” decline in violent crime between the two calendar years. The revised data, first obtained by RealClearInvestigations, shows that violent crime actually increased during this period.

FBI data summaries reviewed by The National News Desk show the agency originally reported 1,253,716 violent crimes in 2021 and 1,232,428 violent crimes in 2022, which is the originally announced 1.7% decline. The updated data summary reported 1,197,930 violent crimes in 2021 and 1,256,671 in 2022, showing a very different 4.9% increase.

The initially reported drop in violent crime was a political talking point for Democrats, who wanted to praise the Biden-Harris administration for its handling of public safety. The revision has also called into question the accuracy of 2023 violent crime data released by the FBI earlier this year, which became a hot topic in the debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

During the debate over what the former president called the FBI’s “fraudulent statements” about violent crime trends, Trump engaged in an argument with ABC News anchor DavidMuir. He claimed the latest FBI data did not include the “worst cities” and painted the numbers as an incomplete picture of a public safety crisis in the US

Muir, who dismissed Trump’s claims, cited FBI data showing that “overall violent crime in this country is declining.”

Harris used the 2023 data as an opportunity to reassure Americans that the Biden-Harris administration has made the US safer.

“The new data provided to the FBI today confirms that our dedicated efforts and cooperation with law enforcement are working,” Harris said on social media last month. “Americans are safer now than they were when we took office.”

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