Overall, the violent crime category -- including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault -- declined by 8 percent. However, murders were virtually unchanged at 184 homicides from January through June 2007, and bank robberies rose by 29, from 81 to 110.
Nonviolent crime dropped by 6 percent. The biggest decrease was the 18 percent decline in motor vehicle thefts.
The six-month report reverses the increasing crime trend reported from 2005 to 2006.