violent crime

Politicians love to cite crime data. It’s often wrong.

BY: - October 30, 2023

When Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his presidential campaign in May, he proudly told the nation that Florida’s crime rate in 2021 had reached a 50-year low. But really, DeSantis couldn’t say for sure. That’s because fewer than 1 in 10 law enforcement agencies in his state had reported their crime statistics to the […]

A West Virginia State Police South Charleston Detachment sign sits in front of the white police building.

New FBI data shows homicides are slowing in WV. Other crime data, however, remains hard to parse

BY: - October 27, 2023

Homicides are on the decline in West Virginia, according to annual crime data released by the FBI earlier this month. But experts say it’s difficult to get a full picture of how common other crimes are occurring in the state — like sexual assaults — that are less likely to be reported to police. While […]