Year in Crime: Counting Georgia's Murders, Rapes, Robberies, Car Thefts, Burglaries

ATLANTA, GA — Georgia law enforcement reported 615 murders in 2015, or one murder every 14 hours. Motorists found 26,482 cars stolen — approximately 72 vehicles each day. It's just two data points in the FBI's annual crime report, released this week.

Agencies around the country provide data to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, and that information is released annually in the "Crime in the United States" report.

Nationally, law enforcement reports violent crime (murders, rapes, robberies, assaults) were up 3.9 percent in 2015, but property crimes (burglaries, thefts) fell by 2.6 percent. The FBI notes the increase in violent crime year-over-year is still far below the rate in 2006: 16.5 percent.

Here are Georgia's 2015 totals, along with the approximate number per day.

Violent Crime: 38,643

• Murder and non-negligent manslaughter: 615 - one every 14 hours
• Rape: 3,224 - eight a day
• Robbery: 12,247 - 33 a day
• Aggravated Assault: 22,557 - 61 a day

Property Crime: 308,723

• Burglary: 66,374 - 181 a day
• Larceny-theft: 215,867 - 591 a day
• Motor vehicle theft: 26,482 - 72 a day

Because of changes in how local agencies report crimes, the FBI notes that Georgia data is not comparable to the previous year.

Firearms were used in an estimated 82 percent of murder cases in Georgia, according to the FBI data. Nationally, the FBI report notes that firearms were used in 71.5 percent of the nation's murders.

FBI Director James Comey noted the data is released to promote more transparency and accountability in law enforcement.

"We also need better, more informed conversations about crime and policing in this country," he said in a statement. "Information that is accurate, reliable, complete, and timely will help all of us learn where we have problems and how to get better."

Robberies nationwide resulted in a loss of $390 million and thefts included an estimated $14.3 billion in stolen property.