Burglaries usually rise in a recession, but not this one

Updated

I noticed some surprisingly good news in the annual report from the city where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area -- crime has dropped. I say surprisingly because in a recession, I'd expect crime to increase as more people lose their jobs and have to find other ways -- some illegal -- to make money.

It turns out my suburban city isn't alone. Large and small cities across the country are seeing crime drop -- particularly burglaries -- during the recession. "With a lot more unemployed people, a lot more people are staying home, and they see more in their neighborhood," Sgt. Thomas Lasater of the police department in St. Louis County, Mo., told the Associated Press.

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