October 28, 2003
Tuesday - 1:00 am

Washington, DC - Nationally, the volume of crime reported to law enforcement in 2002 (estimated at 11.9 million offenses) increased by less than one-tenth of one percent when compared to the 2001 volume, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported Monday. Five- and 10-year trend data showed that the 2002 estimated volume was 4.9 percent lower than the 1998 volume and 16.0 percent lower than the 1993 volume. The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program released this information today in its annual publication, Crime in the United States, 2002.

In 2002, more than 17,000 city, county, and state law enforcement agencies voluntarily provided data on serious crime: 4 violent crimes (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) and 3 property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) to the UCR Program. These agencies represented 93.4 percent of the total U.S. population as established by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Violent Crime

• In the United States, the estimated volume of violent crime reported to law enforcement decreased 0.9 percent in 2002, with 1.4 million estimated offenses. Five- and 10-year trend data revealed the estimated number of violent crimes was 7.0 percent lower than the 1998 number and 25.9 percent less than the 1993 number.
• Cumulatively, the Nation's cities experienced a 1.9-percent decrease in the volume of violent crime. Rural counties in the United States had a collective decline of 1.2 percent in violent crime, and suburban counties experienced a 1.0-percent increase in violent crime.
• The rate for violent crime, an estimated 494.6 offenses per 100,000 in population, decreased 2.0 percent when compared to the 2001 rate.
• The weapon data collected for murder, robbery, and aggravated assault showed that offenders used personal weapons, such as hands, fists, and feet, in 31.2 percent of these crimes. Firearms were involved in 26.8 percent of murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults, and knives or cutting instruments were used in 14.9 percent. Other types of weapons were used in 27.1 percent of murders, robberies, and aggravated assaults.
• Nationally, law enforcement cleared 46.8 percent of reported violent crime in 2002. Murders were cleared at a rate of 64.0 percent, aggravated assaults had a clearance rate of 56.5 percent, forcible rapes were cleared at a rate of 44.5 percent, and robberies had a clearance rate of 25.7 percent.
  
• During 2002, 11.9 percent of all clearances involved juveniles only. Juveniles were involved in 12.3 percent of clearances in suburban counties, they were a part of 12.1 percent of clearances in cities, and juveniles were involved in 9.6 percent of clearances in rural counties.
• Law enforcement made an estimated 620,510 arrests for violent crimes during 2002. Females comprised 17.4 percent of all violent crime arrestees. Individuals under the age of 25 made up 43.7 percent of all violent crime arrestees.

Property Crime

• The estimated volume of reported property crime increased 0.1 percent in 2002 when compared to the 2001 number. Trend data for 5 and 10 years showed that the volume was 4.6 percent lower than the 1998 volume and 14.5 percent lower than the 1993 volume.
• A breakdown of the data by population group showed that property crime decreased 0.3 percent in the Nation's cities collectively. Rural counties experienced an increase of 0.7 percent, and suburban counties had a collective increase of 1.0 percent in the volume of property crime in 2002.
• The 2002 property crime rate estimated at 3,624.1 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants decreased 0.9 percent from the 2001 number.
• In 2002, the estimated dollar loss associated with property crime (excluding arson) was $16.6 billion, an increase of less than 0.3 percent from the 2001 estimate. Motor vehicle theft caused a loss of $8.4 billion, larceny-theft accounted for a loss of $4.9 billion, and burglary resulted in a loss of $3.3 billion.
• Nationally, in 2002, law enforcement cleared 16.5 percent of all reported property crime. Juveniles were involved in 20.3 percent of clearances for property crime.
• Law enforcement made an estimated 1.6 million arrests for property crime offenses during 2002. Females made up 30.7 percent of all property crime arrestees, and adults comprised 70.2 percent of all property crime arrestees.

Crime Rate

• The crime rate standardizes the volume of crime by measuring it per 100,000 U.S. resident population. In 2002, the estimated volume of the reported serious crime per 100,000 was 4,118.8, which reflected a 1.1-percent decrease when compared to the 2001 rate, a 10.9-percent decrease when compared to the 1998 rate, and a 24.9-percent decrease when compared to the 1993 rate.
• Regionally, the South had a crime rate of 4,721.9 serious crimes per 100,000 inhabitants, the West a rate of 4,418.8, the Midwest a rate of 3,883.1, and the Northeast a rate of 2,889.0 serious crimes per 100,000 in population in 2002. A comparison of this year's crime rate with the 2001 rate showed that the Northeast had a decrease of 3.7 percent, the Midwest experienced a decrease of 2.4 percent, the South had a decrease of 1.2 percent, and the West had an increase of 1.6 percent.
• A breakdown of the data by community type showed that Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) had an estimated rate of 4,409.1 reported offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. Cities outside the Nation's MSAs had a rate of 4,524.0, and rural counties had a rate of 1,908.7 reported offenses per 100,000 in population.

Crime Clearances

• Nationwide, law enforcement agencies reported that 20.0 percent of serious crimes were cleared by arrest or exceptional means in 2002. Agencies collectively cleared 46.8 percent of violent crimes, with murder having the highest percentage of clearances at 64.0 percent. They also cleared 16.5 percent of property crimes, with larceny-theft having the highest percentage (18.0) of clearances among the property crimes.
• Of the serious crimes cleared by law enforcement in 2002, 18.0 percent involved only juveniles. Juvenile offenders accounted for 11.9 percent of violent crime clearances and 20.3 percent of property crime clearances.

Arrests

• In 2002, law enforcement agencies nationwide made an estimated 13.7 million arrests (excluding traffic violations).
• In relation to the total U.S. population, the Nation's arrest rate was estimated at 4,783.4 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants.
• The violent crime arrest rate was 217.9 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants, and the property crime arrest rate was 570.5 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants.
• During 2002, the Nation's cities collectively had an arrest rate of 5,170.2 per 100,000 in population. Suburban counties had an arrest rate of 3,841.5, and rural counties had an arrest rate of 4,025.6 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants.
• The total number of arrests increased 0.5 percent from 2001 to 2002.
• Arrests for violent crimes decreased 0.8 percent from the 2001 number, and arrests for property crimes increased 0.6 percent.
• Arrests for drug abuse violations and driving under the influence accounted for an estimated 21.8 percent of all arrests.
• Nationwide, adults accounted for 83.5 percent of persons arrested in 2002. Juveniles were most often arrested for larceny-theft, and adults were most often arrested for driving under the influence.
• Overall, when compared to the number of arrests during 2001, arrests of adults increased 1.2 percent, and arrests of juveniles decreased 3.0 percent.
• In 2002, males comprised 77.0 percent of all arrestees. Males also accounted for 82.6 percent of those arrested for violent crimes and 69.3 percent of those arrested for property crimes. The offenses for which males were most often arrested were drug abuse violations and driving under the influence.
• The number of females arrested in 2002 increased 2.1 percent from the 2001 number. The offense for which females were most often arrested was larceny-theft.
• By race, 70.7 percent of all arrestees in 2002 were white. The offense for which whites were arrested most often was driving under the influence. The offense for which blacks were arrested most often was drug abuse violations.

Murder

• The violent crime of murder is the most serious crime in the UCR hierarchy. An estimated 16,204 murders took place in 2002, a 1.0-percent increase over the 2001 estimate. A comparison of the data from 5 and 10 years ago showed that the 2002 estimate decreased 4.5 percent from the 1998 estimate and 33.9 percent from the 1993 estimate.
• During 2002, law enforcement agencies provided supplemental homicide data for 14,054 homicides. In 2002, 90.1 percent of murder victims were adults. Males accounted for 76.8 percent of murder victims. Juveniles accounted for 8.2 percent of all male victims and 15.3 percent of all female victims. By race, 48.7 percent of murder victims were white, 48.5 percent were black, and 2.7 percent were of other races.
• During 2002, the relationship between the victim and the offender was unknown for 42.8 percent of the victims. Among the incidents for which the victims' relationship to their killers was known, 22.2 percent were related to their murderers, 53.4 percent were acquainted with their offenders, and 24.4 percent did not know their killers.
• Husbands and boyfriends killed 32.1 percent of female victims, and wives and girlfriends murdered 2.7 percent of male victims.
• Data from single victim/single offender incidents indicated that 92.3 percent of black victims were slain by black offenders, and 84.7 percent of white victims were slain by white offenders.
• In 2002, 71.1 percent of reported murders involved a firearm. Offenders used knives or cutting instruments in 13.4 percent of the murders, personal weapons (hands, fist, feet, etc.) in 7.1 percent, and blunt objects in 5.1 percent of incidents. Other weapon types (poison, arson, etc.) accounted for the remainder.
• Felonious acts (forcible rape, robbery, arson, etc.) were the circumstances surrounding 16.5 percent of the murder offenses in 2002. Another 0.5 percent of murders involved circumstances suspected of being felonious in nature. Arguments were the cause of 27.5 percent of the murders, and 23.0 percent involved other types of circumstances (brawls, sniper attacks, etc.). Circumstances were unknown in 32.6 percent of the incidents.

Forcible Rape

• There were an estimated 95,136 forcible rapes in 2002, an increase of 4.7 percent when compared to the 2001 estimate.
• During 2002, an estimated 64.8 of every 100,000 females in the country were victims of forcible rape, an increase of 3.5 percent from the 2001 rate of 62.6. In comparison with rates of 5 and 10 years ago, the 2002 rate of forcible rapes of females was 3.9 percent below the 1998 rate and 19.4 percent below the 1993 rate.
• By community type, cities outside MSAs had the highest rate of forcible rape, estimated at 75.9 forcible rapes for every 100,000 females. MSAs had a rate of 66.5 forcible rapes per 100,000 females, and rural counties had a rate of 46.8 forcible rapes for every 100,000 females.
• Law enforcement cleared 44.5 percent of forcible rapes nationwide.

Robbery

• There were an estimated 420,637 robberies in 2002, a 0.7-percent decrease from the 2001 number. The robbery rate nationwide was 145.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease of 1.7 percent from the 2001 rate.
• Robbery accounted for 3.5 percent of reported serious crime in 2002 and comprised an estimated 29.5 percent of the violent crimes.
• Robbery resulted in an estimated $539 million loss, or an average loss of $1,281 per incident. Bank robberies resulted in the highest average loss at $4,763 per incident.
• In 2002, offenders used firearms in 42.1 percent of the robberies reported by law enforcement. Another 39.9 percent of robberies involved strong-arm tactics, and offenders used knives or cutting instruments in 8.7 percent of robbery offenses. Other weapons were used in 9.3 percent of robberies.

Aggravated Assault

• The estimated 894,348 aggravated assaults that occurred in 2002 marked the ninth consecutive year of decline for that offense, a decrease of 1.6 percent from the 2001 estimate. The 2002 figure reflected a decrease of 8.4 percent from the 1998 number and a decrease of 21.2 percent from the 1993 number.
• Aggravated assaults accounted for 62.7 percent of the violent crimes in 2002. There were an estimated 310.1 reported victims of aggravated assault per 100,000 inhabitants. This rate was 2.7 percent lower than in 2001, 14.2 percent lower than in 1998, and 29.6 percent lower than in 1993.
• Personal weapons, such as hands, fist, and feet, were used in 27.7 percent of reported aggravated assaults in 2002. Law enforcement reported that firearms were used in 19.0 percent of aggravated assaults, and knives or other cutting instruments were used in 17.8 percent. Other weapon types were used in 35.4 percent of the aggravated assaults in 2002.

Burglary

• There were an estimated 2.2 million burglaries in 2002, a 1.7-percent increase over the 2001 number. The burglary rate was estimated at 746.2 per 100,000 in population, an increase of 0.6 percent over the 2001 rate.
• Losses due to burglary totaled an estimated $3.3 billion in 2002, with an average value of $1,549 per offense. The majority of burglaries, 65.8 percent, were residential in nature, and 61.7 percent of these occurred during daytime hours.
• Forcible entry burglaries accounted for 62.8 percent of all burglary offenses, unlawful entry comprised 30.8 percent, and attempted forcible entry accounted for approximately 6.5 percent.
• Among the 7 serious crimes for which law enforcement report data, burglary had the lowest percentage of clearances at 13.0 percent.

Larceny-theft

• Law enforcement reported an estimated 7.1 million larceny-theft offenses in 2002, a decrease of 0.6 percent from the 2001 number. The rate for larceny-theft was estimated as 2,445.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease of 1.6 percent from the 2001 rate.
• Larceny-theft accounted for 59.4 percent of the reported serious crime in 2002 and 67.5 percent of the property crime.
• The monetary loss due to larceny-theft offenses in 2002 was estimated at $4.9 billion, with an average value of $699 per offense.

Motor Vehicle Theft

• There were an estimated 1.2 million reported motor vehicle thefts in 2002, which represented a 1.4-percent increase in volume when compared to the 2001 number. The rate for motor vehicle theft was estimated at 432.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, a 0.4-percent increase over last year's rate.
• Automobiles were stolen at a rate of 337.5 cars per 100,000 inhabitants. Trucks and buses (commercial vehicles) were stolen at a rate of 85.2 per 100,000 in population, and other types of vehicles were stolen at a rate of 35.9 per 100,000 in population.
• The estimated value of all motor vehicles stolen was $8.4 billion in 2002. The average value of motor vehicles reported stolen was $6,701.

Hate Crime

Arson

Law Enforcement Employees

• In the Nation during 2002, a total of 13,981 city, county, college and university, and state police agencies employed 665,555 full-time officers and 291,947 civilians providing law enforcement services for more than 271 million inhabitants.
• On average, there were 3.5 full-time law enforcement employees, including both officers and civilians, for every 1,000 inhabitants in the United States in 2002. There were 2.5 sworn officers for every 1,000 in population. Cities collectively reported 2.3 law enforcement officers per 1,000 inhabitants; suburban counties reported an average of 2.7 law enforcement officers, and rural counties had an average of 2.5 law enforcement officers per 1,000 in population.
• Nationally, males made up the majority of sworn officers at 88.7 percent. Females comprised 62.1 percent of all civilian employees in 2002. Cities with populations of
  1 million inhabitants or more had the highest percentage of sworn female officers at 17.5 percent.

Special StudytBank Robbery in the United States

Bank robberies account for millions of dollars in losses in the United States each year. In a special study included in Crime in the United States, 2002, the FBI examined information about bank robberies from three of its criminal justice databases: the UCR Program's Summary system, the UCR Program's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and data from the Bank Robbery and Incidental Crimes Statute (BCS). The study updates part of a previous study, Crime Indicators System, Fourth Semiannual Briefing on Crime, published by the FBI in 1983.

• An examination of the NIBRS data showed that in the years 1996 through 2000, the average amount of money taken in a bank robbery was less than $5,000.
• Additionally, during that same time period, only 20.0 percent of the money stolen in bank robberies was recovered.
• The 1996-2000 NIBRS data also revealed that violence and injury occurred during 2.3 percent of bank robberies.

Special ReporttReported Sniper Attacks, 1982c2001

The FBI examined data taken from the 1982-2001 Supplementary Homicide Reports to compile a report, which is also published in Crime in the United States, 2002, on the incidence of sniper attacks using firearms as reported by law enforcement.

• The report showed that in this 20-year period there were 327 murder incidents that law enforcement classified as sniper attacks with firearms and 379 victims of these attacks.
• An examination of the weapons data revealed that handguns were used in the commission of 63.6 percent of these attacks; rifles in 22.9 percent; shotguns in 7.0 percent; and other types of firearms, unknown firearms, and firearms type not stated in 6.7 percent of these sniper murders.
• The data also showed that the majority of the victims and offenders of these sniper attacks were between 25 and 49 years old, male, white, and strangers to each other.

Source of News Release:

FBI
Web Site

 

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