property crime

Overall property crime was down in 2010 according to the FBI, despite the rough economy. But in rural and suburban areas, the larceny and burglary rates actually rose. Here's why crime is shifting away from the big cities -- and what you should do to avoid being a victim.

On Monday, the FBI trumpeted the news that violent crime dropped 5.5% in 2010 while reported property crimes fell 2.8%. The news, though, is not all so positive. A 24/7 Wall St. review of the data shows that violent crime rose in a several of the largest and poorest cities in the U.S.

In Tokyo, it's called "Operation Flower." I, too, have observed the phenomenon: Pretty flowers deter crime. And in Suginami City, a district of Tokyo, there's pretty amazing data to back up the theories. After a shameful year of break-ins in 2002 -- 1,710 in an area with a population of about...