HARRISBURG – The overall number of crimes in Pennsylvania, reported to State Police through the Uniform Crime Reporting System, dropped 2.6 percent in 2010, with violent crimes declining 3.6 percent to their lowest total since 2003.
The statistics are included in the 2010 Uniform Crime Report available online through the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting System Web site.
State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan, in announcing the results, said the total number of crimes reported to state police in 2010 was 931,606, compared to the 956,821 crimes reported in 2009.
The number of violent crimes, including murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, dropped from 48,040 in 2009 to 46,310 last year. Property crimes, which are burglary, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft and arson, decreased .8 percent from 278,191 in 2009 to 276,004 in 2010.
The number of Crime Index offenses, which are those considered most likely to be reported to police and are used nationally as a basis for comparing criminal activity, dipped 1.2 percent from 326,231 in 2009 to 322,314 last year. Crime Index offenses are murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft, motor-vehicle theft and arson.
The breakdown of reported Crime Index offenses for 2010 is as follows:
- Murders increased .9 percent from 651 to 657;
- Forcible rapes decreased 4.6 percent to 3,455;
- Robberies declined 6.6 percent to 16,314;
- Aggravated assaults dipped 1.6 percent to 25,884;
- Burglaries increased .5 percent to 54,845;
- Larcenies/thefts were down .5 percent to 202,522;
- Motor-vehicle thefts fell 6.6 percent to 16,610; and
- Arsons declined 9.2 percent to 2,027.
The UCR also includes figures on 18 other types of crime, known as Part II offenses. Those reported offenses dropped by 3.4 percent in 2010, from 630,555 in 2009 to 609,273. Included in the Part II violations are reported incidents of vandalism – down 8.7 percent to 107,177, and reported drug-abuse violations are down .8 percent to 52,196.
Other statistics from the 2010 UCR include:
- Reported hate crime incidents increased from 74 in 2009 to 83 last year. Hate crime incidents are those motivated by bias against an individual or group based on race, color, religion or national origin;
- The number of assaults on police officers in Pennsylvania fell 11.7 percent to 3,032 last year;
- Arrests for driving under the influence declined 4.0 percent to 53,400. Of the total, 76.5 percent of those arrested were male.
The state’s UCR system is a web-based system through which law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania enter monthly data directly into a state police database. Citizens can go to the website and view the data as soon as it is submitted.
“Law enforcement agencies can submit data at any time with the web-based system,” Noonan said. “As a result, the numbers listed in the 2010 UCR Annual Report are subject to change as police departments update or review their reports.
“The purpose of the report is to help law enforcement agencies adjust their efforts and resources,” Noonan said, noting that the UCR does not explain the reason for increases or decreases in a particular crime.
The report is dedicated to all Pennsylvania law enforcement officers and, in particular, to the following officers who lost their lives in the performance of duty during 2010: Trooper Paul G. Richey, Pennsylvania State Police; Wildlife Conservation Officer David Grove, Pennsylvania Game Commission; and Correctional Officer Gary M. Chapin, Crawford County Correctional Facility.
