NCJ Number
235515
Date Published
April 2010
Length
146 pages
Annotation
This report presents data on crime in Delaware for the years 2003 - 2008 under the National Incident-based Reporting System (NIBRS), which collects data on each single incident and arrest within 22 offense categories that consist of 46 specific crimes and are called "Group A Offenses" and 11 "Group B Offense" categories in which only summary complaint and arrest data are reported.
Abstract
Under the NIBRS, the data collected on each crime incident reported to law enforcement include the nature and types of specific offenses in the incidents, characteristics of the victims and offenders, types and value of property stolen and recovered, and characteristics of persons arrested for the crime incident. NIBRS goes into much greater detail than the summary-based Uniform Crime Reports system formerly used as the data-collection process. Since its inception in Delaware in 2000, 100 percent of the 53 Delaware law enforcement agencies have reported NIBRS data to the statewide repository. For the period 2003-2008, reported Group A crimes slightly increased. Between the years 2007 and 2008, there was less than a 1-percent increase in Group A offenses reported. Between 2003 and 2008, there was an 8.6-percent increase in total offenses reported. The crime rate decreased because of the increase in the State's population. In 2008, the overall crime rate per 1,000 persons decreased to 116.7. This was after a recent high of 118.6 in 2006. Homicides increased significantly, as between 2003 and 2008 there was a 111.1-percent increase in homicides statewide. Violent crime decreased between 2007 and 2008 approximately 1 percent; however, between 2003 and 2008, violent crimes increased 8 percent. Serious property crime increased; drug crimes decreased; and other property and social crimes decreased. Total statewide Group A arrests have decreased, and adult arrests had a slight increase. 60 tables and 59 figures