SALT LAKE CITY — Violent crime took a big drop in the U.S. during the first six months of 2011, according to preliminary statistics released Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

The trend was true in Utah where overall crime was down. But individual crime statistics were a mix, with some cities seeing a drop in certain crimes and an increase in others.

The preliminary semiannual Uniform Crime Report from the FBI collected crime data from January to June using statistics submitted by law enforcement agencies from across the country.

The report found a 6.4 percent overall drop in the number of violent crimes in the U.S. for the first six months of 2011 compared to the same time period last year. Violent crimes include murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

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Violent crime drops slightly in Utah

Violent crime is down slightly in Utah, according to a new report from the Bureau of Criminal Identification.

In Utah, violent crime either dropped or saw small increases in Salt Lake, West Valley, Provo and West Jordan, according to the FBI report. Despite a significant drop in the overall number of violent crimes reported in Provo during the first six months of 2011 — including drops in the number of rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults — there was a noticeable increase in the number of homicides. Provo had four murders during the first half of the year, according to the statistics, compared to one during the first six months of last year.

Salt Lake, West Valley, Provo and West Jordan also saw drops in overall property crimes during the first six months of the year. Burglary and larceny were noticeably down in Salt Lake City and West Valley, although car thefts were up in each city, according to FBI stats.

In the United States, property crimes were down 3.7 percent for the first six months of the year.

Email: preavy@ksl.com

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