Crime in Alabama 2017
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Crime in Alabama 2017 A PUBLICATION OF THE ALABAMA LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES DIVISION MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT We at the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) are committed to improving public safety in the state of Alabama. As part of this multifaceted law enforcement agency, we strive to provide a variety of services and programs to citizens, as well as law enforcement agencies (LEAs) across the state. Additionally each year, our agency partners with municipal, county, university, state and drug task force agencies to produce Crime in Alabama as part of our Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Now in its 42st year, Crime in Alabama is a statistical analysis of municipal and county law enforcement agencies. In it, you will find details on criminal activity that occurred in Alabama during 2017 for various LEAs in Alabama. Using methodology prescribed by Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Program, it includes data sets for Part I crimes -- Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Assault, Burglary, Larceny, Motor Vehicle Theft and Arson. In addition, it contains data for other crimes, arrests, clearances and law enforcement employees. I must stress that Crime in Alabama is not designed to compare these law enforcement agencies. It is simply a resource to measure each agency’s response to crime. We appreciate your interest and hope you find the publication’s collection of data of use. Sincerely, Hal Taylor, Secretary of Law Enforcement 1 Crime in Alabama 2017 Dedication This report is dedicated to Alabama’s Law Enforcement Officers who protect and defend the citizens of this state. HONORING THEIR SERVICE. REMEMBERING THEIR SACRIFICE. 2 Crime in Alabama 2017 PREFACE The 2017 Crime in Alabama report is intended to inform law enforcement officials and private citizens of criminal and law enforcement activity reported in county and municipal jurisdictions in Alabama. Since the UCR offense and arrest data are the basis of this report, it must be noted that other factors affecting crime are not measured by UCR, such as age, sex, and race of the population, economic conditions of the area, transient population, culture, education, climate, attitudes of the victims toward crime and police, and crime reporting practices of the citizens. Therefore, it is difficult to draw conclusions or make valid comparisons between various local jurisdictions by using only the crime and arrest data in this publication. The data in this publication is used for crime problems inherent in the criminal justice system and as a foundation for planning and budgeting. Geographic areas covered in this report include that State of Alabama, county, and city strata. We would like to extend our appreciation to local law enforcement agencies – sheriffs’ departments, municipal police departments, and campus police – for their cooperation in the UCR program. Please Note In 2013, The FBI UCR Program initiated collection of data under a new definition for forcible rape. The term “forcible” was removed, and the definition changed to “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetrations by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” Rape statistics found in this report are not an actual representation of comparative data from 2013 to 2017. 3 Crime in Alabama 2017 CRIME AND ARREST DATA Valid crime data can provide a solid foundation for statistical analyses, management-oriented analyses and crime breakdowns. These analyses can then aid local police departments and county sheriff departments in laying out patrol districts, assigning patrol units, and designating community education programs. Data used in this report are provided by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). ALEA’s data center houses the official state repository for reported arrests and offenses, and is responsible for collecting and disseminating crime data. In 2017, approximately 360 agencies reported known offenses to Alabama’s UCR; more than 99 percent of Alabama’s law enforcement agencies submitted Incident Reports. Through a mandate of Congress, Arson is counted as a Part I Offense. So as not to distort crime trends in Total and Property Crime indices, Arson total will not be included in these sections but will be included in a separate section following property crimes. Crime data is obtained from the Part I Index of Offenses submitted by law enforcement agencies to Alabama’s UCR program. These Part I Offenses are divided into Violent Crimes and Property Crimes. Violent Crimes include Homicide, Rape*, Robbery, and Assault. These crimes are considered violent in as much as they are offenses perpetrated against a person(s) with a high risk or injury or death to the victim(s). Property Crimes comprise Burglary, Larceny, Motor Vehicle Theft, and Arson**. Property or Nonviolent Crimes lack the aspect of force and/or bodily harm to the victim(s). Clearance and arrest data is also reported to Alabama’s UCR. A crime is considered cleared, either by arrest or by exceptional means, when enough evidence is found to charge a suspect and take him/her into custody. It is conceivable that one arrest could clear several offenses or that several arrests could clear one offense. The clearance rate is achieved by taking the number of clearance over the number of crimes reported. CLEARANCE RATE = CLEARANCES REPORTED CRIMES This report is a composite picture of county and municipal crime and law enforcement activity in Alabama for 2017. It provides a breakdown of individual county and municipal jurisdictions as well as cumulative data for the State from the localities participating in the UCR program. The report concentrates on the Index Crimes of the FBI’s Part I Offenses and offers tabular and narrative formats for comparisons, trends, rates, and percent changes. *Prior to 2013, Rape included only female victims. In 2013, the definition of rape was expanded by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program to include male victims and other types of sexual assault offenses. Because of this change, the number of reported rapes increased significantly from 2012. **A separate section on Arson will be included in this report. 4 Crime in Alabama 2017 5 Crime in Alabama 2017 CRIME TRENDS FOR 2013 – 2017 OFFENSES 159,032 2017 135,060 23,972 165,505 2016 25,188 140,317 162,476 2015 140,197 22,279 164,516 2014 144,888 19,628 173,916 2013 153,694 20,222 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 180,000 200,000 Total Property Violent VIOLENT CRIMES 17,760 3,888 2017 1,928 396 18,362 4,557 2016 1,873 396 15,432 4,506 2015 1,988 353 12,987 4,481 2014 1,890 270 13,389 2013 1,978 4,513 342 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000 Assault Robbery Rape Homicide PROPERTY CRIMES 12,006 2017 93,325 29,729 11,389 2016 95,682 33,246 9,996 2015 96,042 34,159 9,570 2014 97,964 37,354 10,046 2013 103,465 40,183 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 Auto Theft Larceny Burglary 6 Crime in Alabama 2017 2,798 28 150 2,077 7,546 462 997 11,341 1,437 13,418 2,199 38 6,738 136 1,782 318 9,801 864 1,290 11,583 FOR 2017 TRENDS MONTHLY 2,254 31 148 2,051 7,282 309 10,440 904 1,563 12,491 2,449 CRIMES PROPERTY 26 Homicide 181 CRIMES VIOLENT 2,289 7,282 322 11,292 992 Burglary 1,760 13,581 36 Violent 2,653 OFFENSES 197 2,274 8,394 341 12,093 1,046 1,700 14,367 Rape Larceny 30 2,603 2,295 185 Property 8,421 351 12,162 1,137 1,729 14,457 Robbery 2,840 51 164 2,160 8,894 Theft Auto 326 12,860 1,126 1,619 15,020 Total 41 2,593 Assault 211 2,154 8,599 321 12,304 1,112 1,581 14,458 2,211 32 169 1,766 7,508 274 10,695 976 1,291 12,461 2,466 26 133 1,896 8,018 295 11,561 1,077 1,442 13,457 2,303 33 Crime in Alabama 2017 2017 Alabama in Crime 144 1,623 7,060 289 10,212 849 1,157 11,835 2,360 24 1,605 110 7,014 280 10,299 925 1,191 11,904 7 7 CLEARANCES 2013 - 2017 200,000 173,916 164,516 162,476 165,505 159,032 150,000 100,000 50,000 42,507 42,281 40,571 40,140 38,780 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Offenses Clearances VIOLENT CRIMES 20000 17,760 15000 10000 7,184 5000 3,888 1,928 797 1,347 396 212 0 OFFENSES CLEARANCES Homicide Rape Robbery Assault PROPERTY CRIMES 100,000 93,325 90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 29,729 30,000 21,507 20,000 12,006 9,570 10,000 4,452 0 OFFENSES CLEARANCES Burglary Larceny Auto Theft 8 Crime in Alabama 2017 VIOLENT CRIMES 2013 - 2017 17,760 2017 1,928 3,888 396 18,362 4,557 2016 1,873 396 15,432 4,506 2015 1,988 353 12,987 4,481 2014 1,890 270 13,389 2013 1,978 4,513 342 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000 Assault Robbery Rape Homicide CLEARANCES - 2017 20000 17,760 15000 10000 7,184 5000 3,888 1,928 797 1,347 396 212 0 OFFENSES CLEARANCES Homicide Rape Robbery Assault MONTHLY - 2017 Homicide Rape Robbery Assault 1,760 1,729 1,700 1,619 1,581 1,563 1,442 1,437 1,290 1,291 1,191 1,157 462 351 341 326 322 321 318 309 295 289 280 274 211 197 185 181 169 164 150 148 144 136 133 110 51 41 38 36 31 30 32 33 28 26 26 24 9 Crime in Alabama 2017 HOMICIDES 500 396 396 400 342 353 300 270 257 196 192 212 200 153 100 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Homicides Clearances VICTIM RACE GENDER 3% 1% 20% 20% 78% 80% Asian Black White Unknown Male Female OFFENDER RACE GENDER 0% 14% 24% 9% 10% 66% 76% Asian Black Unknown White Male Female Unknown 10 Crime in Alabama 2017 RAPE 2,500 1,978 1,978 1,988 1,873 1,928 2,000 1,500 887 863 1,000 826 794 797 500 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Rapes Clearances VICTIM RACE GENDER 20% 3% 5% 10% 78% 90% Asian Black White Unknown Male Female Unknown