Friday, July 20, 2012

Research Overviews: Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) statistics for Alaska

Figure 1. Violent Crime Rates, Alaska, 2002–2010
Three new issues of Justice Center Research Overview present crime and arrest statistics for serious violent and property crimes in Alaska from 2002 to 2010. Alaska figures for 2010 are compared with those for five other western U.S. states — Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The statistics were compiled by Khristy Parker, Research Specialist.

The figures come from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, which collects information from nearly 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. on eight serious crimes, known as Part I offenses, and over twenty less serious offenses, known as Part II offenses. Part I offenses include four violent crimes — murder/non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault — and four property crimes — burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The figures presented in the research overviews are for all eight Part I offenses.
  • "Violent and Property Offenses in Alaska, 2002–2010" presents crime rates and number of offenses known to police for seven of the eight serious offenses defined as Part I offenses (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). UCR does not report the other Part I offense, arson, by state; but data on arson arrests are included in the other two Research Overviews released today.  Overall, the data show that the rate of violent crime reported to Alaska law enforcement increased 13 percent from 2002 to 2010, while the rate of reported property crime declined 24 percent during the same period