Looks like the peak year for

[Dukehorn]

Looks like the peak year for violent crime and murder was in 1991 (assuming this chart is any good).

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

I think its been relatively the same the last ten years except that the media has a perverse affection for (a) stories where white female blondes are killed/abducted (the recent UNC shooting, the Georgia hiker, and the Aruba Spring breaker) and (b) strange child abuse stories.