According to the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report released earlier today, the nation experienced a 4.0 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes and a 0.8 percent decline in the number of property crimes in 2011 when compared with data from 2010. The report is based on information the FBI gathered from 14,009 law enforcement agencies.

Highlights from the preliminary report include:

• Violent crime declined in all city groups. Cities with populations of 50,000 to 99,999 saw the largest decrease (5.2 percent) in violent crime.
• In the violent crime offenses category, murder was down overall 1.9 percent from 2010 figures, while forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault all fell four percent.
• Nationally, the property crime offense categories of larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft decreased in 2011 when compared with 2010 data. Motor vehicle thefts declined in all population groupings. Cities with 100,000 to 249,999 inhabitants experienced the largest decline at 4.3 percent. Metropolitan counties reported a 6.1 percent decrease in motor vehicle thefts.
• Arson offenses, which are not included in property crime totals, decreased 5.0 percent nationwide.

All of the final figures will be published this fall in Crime in the United States 2011.

Submitting Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data to the FBI is a collective effort on the part of city, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies to present a nationwide view of crime. Participating agencies provide reports on crimes to their state UCR program, which then forwards the data to the FBI’s national UCR program. Staff then review and enter it into the national UCR database. The information is then publicly disseminated through various reports, as well as through preliminary data reports and special reports on particular topics.

The FBI cautions against drawing conclusions by making direct comparisons between cities or individual agencies due to unique conditions that affect each law enforcement jurisdiction.

To learn more about this year’s crime report, read the  press release and view the official Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, January-December 2011.

Today the FBI released a version of its Child ID App built for Android mobile devices.

The Child ID App provides parents and caregivers with an easy way to electronically store pictures and vital information about their children in case they go missing—whether it’s a toddler wandering away at the mall or a teen who has been snatched by a stranger.

Using the app, you can show pictures of your kids and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot. You can also quickly and easily e-mail the information to authorities with a few clicks. The app also includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing.

An iPhone version of the app was first released in August 2011.

Download the free app for iPhones from the iTunes store or for Android on Google Play.

The following post appears courtesy of the FBI.

The Vault at FBI.gov

This week the FBI and the Department of Justice are celebrating Sunshine Week—a national effort promoting open government and freedom of information. The FBI has introduced new tools and initiatives to help make FBI information and records more accessible to the public and easier than ever to use.

In October 2010, in response to citizen feedback, the FBI launched a major overhaul of its website FBI.gov.  The new FBI.gov features a user-friendly design and simple navigation. New pages and features have also been added.

Many pages can now be converted into RSS news feeds so you can easily keep track of content that interests you. A new search function in the popular Wanted by the FBI section makes it easier than ever to help find fugitives and missing persons. Another new tool, an online version of the National Stolen Art File can help determine if the artwork you’re interested in buying might be stolen.

 Other new and ongoing initiatives include:

•  The Vault – A revamped electronic reading room, the Vault makes records past and present searchable by keyword and topic. Records are also easier to read through a convenient web document viewer.
• Crime Statistics – Run searches of Uniform Crime Reports more easily, including through a new online tool that builds usable sets of crime data going back to 1960.
• Child ID App – Download the FBI’s first mobile application to keep photos and other vital information about your child right at hand in the unlikely event he or she goes missing.
• Social Media—Visit the FBI on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to join the conversation and get its breaking news and other content.
• Podcasts – Listen to and download the Bureau’s four regular shows on iTunes, along with new video versions of “Wanted by the FBI.” 
• FBI in español – The first web portal for Spanish-speakers which provides translations of key webpages and stories targeted to Hispanic audiences.
• Widgets – Incorporate FBI content into your website or blog.
• E-Mail and Text Alerts – Join the 200,000 subscribers who have FBI news and information across 250+ categories sent straight to their inboxes or wireless devices. Text message alerts are also available.

The public has responded to these initiatives by coming to the FBI website in record numbers in recent years, with more than 50 million visits in 2011 alone. Stay tuned for more new tools and features in the months to come.

The following post appears courtesy of the FBI.

The founder of a $7 billion hedge fund is convicted of insider trading. A drug company pleads guilty to making and selling unsafe prescription drugs to Americans. The head of a financial company admits scamming distressed homeowners who were trying to avoid foreclosure.

These recent crimes and many more like them can cause great harm to the U.S economy and American consumers. That’s why financial crimes are such an investigative priority.

Today, we’re releasing an overview of the problem and our response to it in our latest Financial Crimes Report to the Public. The report—which covers the period from October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2011—explains dozens of fraud schemes, outlines emerging trends, details FBI accomplishments in combating financial crimes (including major cases), and offers tips on protecting yourself from these crimes.

Here’s a brief snapshot of key sections of the report:

Corporate fraud: One of the Bureau’s highest criminal priorities, our corporate fraud cases resulted in 242 indictments/informations and 241 convictions of corporate criminals during fiscal year (FY) 2011. While most of our cases involve accounting schemes designed to conceal the true condition of a corporation or business, we’ve seen an increase in the number of insider trading cases.

Securities/commodities fraud: In FY 2011, our cases resulted in 520 indictments/informations and 394 convictions. As a result of an often volatile market, we’ve seen a rise in this type of fraud as investors look for alternative investment opportunities. There have been increases in new schemes—like securities market manipulation via cyber intrusion—as well as the tried-and-true—like Ponzi scams.

Health care fraud: In FY 2011, 2,690 cases investigated by the FBI resulted in 1,676 informations/indictments and 736 convictions. Some of the more prevalent schemes included: billing for services not provided, duplicate claims, medically unnecessary services, upcoding of services or equipment, and kickbacks for referring patients for services paid for by Medicare/Medicaid. We’ve seen increasing involvement of organized criminal groups in many of these schemes.

Mortgage fraud: During 2011, mortgage origination loans were at their lowest levels since 2001, partially due to tighter underwriting standards, while foreclosures and delinquencies have skyrocketed over the past few years. So, distressed homeowner fraud has replaced loan origination fraud as the number one mortgage fraud threat in many FBI offices. Other schemes include illegal property flipping, equity skimming, loan modification schemes, and builder bailout/condo conversion. During FY 2011, we had 2,691 pending mortgage fraud cases.

Financial institution fraud: Investigations in this area focused on insider fraud (embezzlement and misapplication), check fraud, counterfeit negotiable instruments, check kiting, and fraud contributing to the failure of financial institutions.

Also mentioned in the report are two recent initiatives that support our efforts against financial crime: the forensic accountant program, which ensures that financial investigative matters are conducted with the high-level expertise needed in an increasingly complex global financial system; and our Financial Intelligence Center, which provides tactical analysis of financial intelligence data, identifies potential criminal enterprises, and enhances investigations.

For more information, read the full Financial Crime Report and visit FBI.gov. To learn how to protect yourself from fraud visit StopFraud.gov.

Last week, the President signed legislation that will allow Robert Mueller to extend his service as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for an additional two years. Attorney General Holder supported this decision, saying in an earlier statement:

“In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bob Mueller led the transformation of the FBI into what today is the world’s pre-eminent counterterrorism agency.  One of the most respected prosecutors of his generation before joining the FBI as its Director, he has earned the confidence of two Presidents for his ability to lead and his calmness under fire.   

“A short-term legislative change will allow Bob to remain at the FBI for an additional two years so the President’s counterterrorism team can continue to work together seamlessly.  The United States faces ongoing threats from terrorists intent on attacking us both at home and abroad, and it is crucial that the FBI have sustained, strong leadership to confront that threat.  There is no better person for that job than Bob Mueller.  I hope he will be allowed to continue providing the able leadership and unquestioned integrity for which he is known for the remainder of the President’s term.”

Today, Director Mueller was sworn in by the Attorney General while accompanied by his wife. For more information about Director Mueller and the FBI visit FBI.gov

Over the past two days, 303 individuals in 19 states were arrested as part of Project Coronado – a 44-month multi-agency law enforcement investigation, which targeted the distribution network of a major Mexican drug trafficking organization known as La Familia, through coordination between federal, state and local law enforcement. 

More than 3,000 agents and officers operated across the United States to make the arrests during the two-day takedown.  During the two-day operation alone, $3.4 million in U.S. currency, 729 pounds of methamphetamine, 62 kilograms of cocaine, 967 pounds of marijuana, 144 weapons and 109 vehicles were seized by law enforcement agents. Below, a look at Project Coronado, and the overall numbers of this 44-month operation.

Project Coronado – By the Numbers

1, 186: Number of Total arrests.
1,999: Kilograms of Cocaine Seized
2,710: Pounds of Methamphetamine Seized
29: Pounds of Heroin Seized
16,390: Pounds of Marijuana Seized
$32,795,000: U.S. Currency Seized
269: Number of Vehicles Seized
389: Number of Weapons Seized
2: Number of Maritime Vessels Seized

The Attorney General announced the current results of Project Coronado at a press conference held this morning. He was joined by DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and ATF Acting Director Kenneth E. Melson.

Read the full news release.