While it may seem like murder is the crime committed the most in Buffalo, that's not actually the case. Make no mistake, we do have entirely too many murders and violent crimes, but when you take a look at the numbers, another crime happens way more frequently.

Buffalo is safer than 8% of U.S. Cities

That's not really a comforting statistic. According to Neighborhood Scout, 92 percent of the cities in the United States are safer than Buffalo. As of the most recent data provided by the state's Division of Criminal Justice Services, Erie County has a violent crime rate of 402.2. While the county is home to the second most populous city, it has the "honor" of having the highest rate of violent crimes committed with a firearm - 130.7. The property crime rate is 1,974.1.

Photo by Victor on Unsplash

As of the most recent local data for this year, the crime committed the most in Buffalo is:

Larceny, with 1660 incidents reported this year, so far

According to Merriam-Webster, Larceny means,

The unlawful taking of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it permanently.

411 incidents in January
365 incidents in February
389 incidents in March
495 incidents in April

Even though the number of homicides committed this year is 18, those 18 deaths are obviously worse than any larceny could ever be. Those are 18 people who are never coming back and 18 families that suffered a tragic loss.