Just pick a different data set!

Want to make crime look better or worse in Sacramento? Just choose the right data set! Kevin Johnson did, when he used crime stats from not-this year and not-last-year to highlight a rise in violent crime during Heather Fargo's tenure in office. Eh, whatever, technicality, right? Paper caught it. That oughtta cover it.

Johnson cited statistics, culled from local reports to the FBI, showing that violent crime in Sacramento is up 55 percent since 2001 - the year Mayor Heather Fargo took office. He said that assaults increased 74 percent in the same period.

Johnson did not mention the most recent FBI crime stats, however - numbers that Fargo cites in her campaign literature. Last year, there were significant decreases in most violent crimes, including a 21 percent drop in murders, an 8 percent drop in robberies, and a 7.6 percent drop in aggravated assault.

The trend seems to be continuing this year, with the number of homicides down about a third compared to this point in 2007.

Sgt. Matt Young, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department, said the ups and downs in the city's crime rate reflect national and regional patterns.

"The fact is that crime is an epidemic across the country," Young said Wednesday. "Sacramento is not any different than any other big city."

Shrug.