however, the FBI's latest national figures are below crime rates seen in previous decades. In the 1980s and 1990s, U.S. murder and violent crime rates were consistently higher. In 1995, the rate was 8.2 murders per 100,000 people, according to FBI data. In both 2013 and 2014, the rate was 4.5 murders per 100,000 people.

Experts at The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University say that overall, the data from the FBI show a decrease in the national crime rate for the 15th year in a row. While violent crime is up, the overall crime rate decreased by 1.4 percent in 2016, according to the center's analysis.

"The FBI's data show trends similar to what we've found for crime, murder, and violence in 2016," Ames Grawert, a counselin the Brennan Center's Justice Program, said in a statement. "Crime remains near historic lows, with an uptick in murder and violence driven in part by problems in some of our nation's largest cities. At the same time, other cities like New York are keeping crime down."

A preliminary analysis of crime in 2017 by the Brennan Center estimates that the rates of overall crime, violence and murder in the 30 largest cities will all decrease in 2017.

The Chicago Police Department said it will be adding nearly 1,000 positions to help combat crime over the next two years, including 500 new patrol officers and 92 field training officers to help train the new recruits.

