Violent crime in Orange County’s eight largest cities fell by 12.7 percent in the first six months of 2008, according to statistics released today by the FBI. The eight cities – Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Orange and Santa Ana – reported a combined 2,472 violent crimes in the first half of last year, down from 2,832 in the same period of 2007. Those eight cities each have a population of more than 100,000, qualifying them for the FBI report. Violent crime includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Nationwide, the FBI reported a 3.5 percent drop in violent crime in the first half of 2008.
