There is hard data on a county-basis in
Crime in Arizona reports.
I didnt compare all border counties, but violent crime was down in 2008 (from 2007) in Cochise, Pima and Yuma Counties.
On a more anecdotal level, I have seen numerous articles on border crime...with the law enforcement officials consistently saying violent crime is down or at worst, flat.
One example:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...ce-mexico.html
I have not seen any hard data anywhere that crime is up in border cities or across the state.
IMO, the so-called rise in illegal immigrant crime factor has been overstated and overplayed for political gain.