Crime rate unchanged

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department said Wednesday the rate of violent crime in the United States held steady in 2008.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics released its findings about the estimated 4.9 million violent crimes committed in the U.S. last year.

The rate of violent crime in 2008 was 19.3 victimizations per 1,000 people age 12 or older, the Justice Department found. The rate for the past two years is the lowest since 1973.

Separate FBI crime data concluded violent crime dropped by 2.5 percent last year.