STATEMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT ON THE FBI'S UNIFORM CRIME REPORT

"Thanks to the hard work of law enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, and corrections officers across America, the violent crime and property crime rates in our nation are at their lowest point in three decades. In 2003, violent crime fell 3% from the previous year and the violent crime rate was down 3.9%. Had the 1994 violent crime rate occurred each year since that time, more than 3.9 million additional violent victimizations would have occurred. But since 2000, the violent crime rate has dropped by more than 6%, and last year violent crime was down in every region of the United States. The property crime rate also fell in 2003, dropping by 1.2%. All across our country, law-abiding Americans are enjoying unprecedented safety.

"The Uniform Crime Report data shows that the efforts of our men and women in law enforcement continue to make a difference. We are vigorously prosecuting those who use a gun to commit a crime. We have taken more drug offenders off the street and have given those street corners back to the good people of the community. We are ensuring that hardened criminals do hard time in prison. And we remain committed to preventing crime and holding accountable those who violate our laws. From the beat cop to the line prosecutor and the field agent, I applaud those who have worked so tirelessly to make our communities safe."

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