The FBI confirmed this month that, despite the sour economy, violent crime dropped for the third straight year in 2009, while property offenses declined for the seventh consecutive year.
Reported property crime in the US has also fallen to a 20-year low, a trend police officials attribute to high-tech gadgets, like cell phones, and other equipment that help officers identify patterns of crime in particular neighborhoods.
Departments can redeploy officers more quickly to threatened areas, known as “hot spots,” to stop potential crime sprees.
(READ the story in the USA Today)