Mass. Violent Crime Totals Rise in 2015; Murders, Rapes, Robberies Decline

BOSTON, MA — Violent crime rose across Massachusetts in 2015, but those climbing numbers obscure the fact that particularly heinous crimes, such as rape and murder, declined during that time, according to data newly released this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Even though Massachusetts' population grew, the Bay State saw four fewer murders, 105 fewer rapes and 748 fewer robberies. However, there were 1,020 more aggravated assaults in 2015 than 2014, the only category to rise. That's based on reported offenses documented in the FBI's 2015 Uniform Crime Report.

You can see how those numbers broke down on a city-by-city, town-by-town basis below.

(Check your local Patch for a more detailed breakdown.)

The report serves as guidelines for many things, from informing law enforcement decisions on budgeting and resource allocation, to informing lawmakers' anti-crime legislation. However, the FBI cautions against using them as a means of comparing different locales, since there are many factors at play, including but not limited to: population density and degree of urbanization; the number of young people; economic conditions; and family conditions.

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