Haberman, an associate professor in the UC School of Criminal Justice, explains that the public’s perception of crime is often shaped by what he calls “signal crimes” — incidents that are particularly shocking, happen in public or involve well-known people. These incidents, he says, tend to dominate the news and shape public opinion, even if overall crime isn’t increasing.

Haberman stressed that while such incidents are serious and shouldn’t be dismissed, they aren’t necessarily evidence of a larger crime wave. Instead, he encourages people to look at long-term data trends to get a more accurate picture of what’s happening in their city.

The panel pointed out that crime data can be complex, with differences depending on how you define crime, which neighborhoods you examine and which time periods you compare. They suggest that taking a broader, more analytical view can help separate perception from reality.

In short, while concern about crime is understandable, the experts emphasized that it’s important to examine what the data shows before drawing conclusions.

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Featured image at top of computer screen with multi-colored data markers: iStock Photo/da-kuk