It turns out that South Carolina is second in the country for property crimes; only Washington, D.C. has a higher rate. The state has above-average rates in all theft categories, including larceny-theft, burglary and motor vehicle theft. This is surprising to residents, many of whom stay in or move to South Carolina because of the perceived low crime rates.

The sheriff of Greenville County, Steve Loftis, believes that the bad economy is responsible, at least in part. Greenville County has seen a 7.6 percent increase in property crimes. Other counties in the region saw increases, too: Property crimes rose 15.6 percent in Anderson County and 18.4 percent in Pickens County. Nationally, the crime rates have fallen. This includes property crime rates.

The theft of copper and other building materials from construction sites and existing buildings seems to be driving these numbers in the Greenville region. Law enforcement officials hope that a new law that requires a permit to sell copper may reduce this type of property crime.

The city of Greenville itself has seen a decrease in property crimes, a phenomenon that chief of police Terri Wilfong says can be attributed to the city's new criminal data analysis software, a system also used successfully in New York City.

Source: Greenville News, "Property crimes creep upward in South Carolina", Oct. 12, 2011.