SAN DIEGO -- According to the FBI's Preliminary Semi-annual Uniform Crime Report released Tuesday, the nation experienced a 3.5 percent decline in violent crime and a 2.5 percent decline in property crime.

San Diego experienced a 2.8 percent decline in violent crime and a 10 percent decline in property crime, the FBI statistics show.

The report is based on information from law enforcement agencies that contributed three to six common months of data to the FBI from January through June of both 2007 and 2008.

San Diego (population 1,261,196)

Violent Crime

Reported violent crime offenses for San Diego declined from 3,071 in 2007 to 2,985 in 2008 a decrease of 86 offenses or 2.80 percent The changes by violent crime category are as follows; Murders decreased by 2 (-7 percent) from 28 in 2007 to 26 in 2008. Forcible Rapes increased by 49 (38 percent) from 129 in 2007 to 178 in 2008. Robberies remained the same at 1,004 for both 2007 and 2008. Aggravated Assaults decreased by 133 (-7 percent) from 1,910 in 2007 to 1,777 in 2008.

Property Crime

Reported property offenses for San Diego declined from 22,247 in 2007 to 19,984 in 2008 a decrease of 2,263 offenses or 10.17 percent. The changes by property crime category are as follows; Burglaries decreased by 138 (-3.6 percent) from 3,842 in 2007 to 3,704 in 2008. Larceny Thefts decreased by 1,107 (-9.25 percent) from 11,972 in 2007 to 10,865 in 2008. Motor Vehicle Thefts decreased by 1,018 (-15.8 percent) from 6,433 in 2007 to 5,415 in 2008.

Arson

Arsons decreased by 11 (-12 percent) from 92 in 2007 to 81 in 2008.

Chula Vista (population 218,718)

Violent Crime

Reported violent crime offenses for Chula Vista declined from 452 in 2007 to 419 in 2008 a decrease of 33 or 7 percent. The changes by violent crime category are as follows; Murders decreased by 1 (-25 percent) from 4 in 2007 to 3 in 2008. Forcible Rapes decreased by 4 (-15 percent) from 26 in 2007 to 22 in 2008. Robberies decreased by 29 (-15 percent) from 191 in 2007 to 162 in 2008. Aggravated Assaults increased by 1 from 231 in 2007 to 232 in 2008.

Property Crime

Reported property crime offenses for Chula Vista decreased from 3,901 in 2007 to 3,343 in 2008 a decrease of 558 or 14 percent. The changes by property crime category are as follows; Burglaries decreased by 117 (-19 percent) from 603 in 2007 to 486 in 2008. Larceny Thefts decreased by 237 (-11 percent) from 2,053 in 2007 to 1,816 in 2008. Motor Vehicle Thefts decreased by 204 (-16 percent) from 1,245 in 2007 to 1,041 in 2008.

Arson

Arsons decreased by 2 (-13 percent) from 15 in 2007 to 13 in 2008.

Oceanside (population 166,424)

Violent Crime

Reported violent crime offenses for Oceanside declined from 469 in 2007 to 393 in 2008 a decrease of 76 or 16 percent. The changes by violent crime category are as follows; Murders decreased by 4 from 5 in 2007 to 1 in 2008. Forcible Rapes remained the same at 24 reported in 2007 and 2008. Robberies decreased by 64 (-42 percent) from 152 in 2007 to 88 in 2008. Aggravated Assaults decreased by 16 (-5.5 percent) from 292 in 2007 to 276 in 2008.

Property Crime

Reported property crime offenses for Oceanside declined from 2,167 in 2007 to 2,092 in 2008 a decrease of 75 or 3.5 percent. The changes by property crime category are as follows; Burglaries decreased by 4 (-1 percent) from 395 in 2007 to 391 in 2008. Larceny Thefts decreased by 92 (-6 percent) from 1,487 in 2007 to 1,395 in 2008. Motor Vehicle Thefts increased by 21 (7 percent) from 285 in 2007 to 306 in 2008.

Arson

Arsons decreased by 7 (-32 percent) from 22 in 2007 to 15 in 2008.

Escondido (population 133,429)

Violent Crime

Reported violent crime offenses for Escondido declined from 347 in 2007 to 262 in 2008 a decrease of 85 or 24.5 percent The changes by violent crime category are as follows; Murders remained unchanged at 3 for 2007 and 2008. Forcible Rapes increased by 8 (67 percent) from 12 in 2007 to 20 in 2008. Robberies decreased by 53 (-37 percent) from 143 in 2007 to 90 in 2008. Aggravated Assaults decreased by 40 (-21 percent) from 189 in 2007 to 149 in 2008.

Property Crime

Reported property crime offenses for Escondido declined from 2,131 in 2007 to 2,036 in 2008 a decrease of 95 or four percent. The changes by property crime category are as follows; Burglaries increased by 33 (9 percent) from 367 in 2007 to 400 in 2008. Larceny Thefts decreased by 50 (-4 percent) from 1,264 in 2007 to 1,214 in 2008. Motor Vehicle Thefts decreased by 78 (-15.6 percent) from 500 in 2007 to 422 in 2008.

Arson

Arsons increased by 9 from 7 in 2007 to 16 in 2008.

The preliminary statistics were compiled by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division in West Virginia, in close concert with city, county, tribal, and state law enforcement agencies around the country. The report includes data from more than 12,000 agencies submitting six to 12 months of data for both 2006 and 2007.

Because of the complexities involved, the FBI makes no attempt to interpret the data, which it leaves to criminologists and sociologists. And, the FBI cautions against using the stats to rank cities or counties. Such rankings do not account for the many variables that impact the volume and scope of crime in specific locations.

The complete Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report is available. Click here.