Glossary

The Uniform Crime/Incident-Based Reporting system uses general offense categories that were developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to standardize reporting across states. The seven Index crimes were chosen primarily on the basis of their seriousness and frequency of occurrence, and are used to gauge trends in the overall volume and rate of crime. The Index crimes, as defined by the FBI and not New York State statute, include the following:

Violent Crimes:

Murder – The willful killing of one human being by another. Excluded from this category are deaths caused by negligence, suicide, or accident, justifiable homicides, and attempts to murder, which are classified as assault.

Forcible Rape – The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will. Attempts to commit rape by force or threat of force are also included; however, statutory rape (without force) and other sex offenses are excluded.

Robbery – The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.

Aggravated Assault – The unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm, and also includes attempts to commit murder.

Property Crimes:

Burglary – The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. The use of force to gain entry is not required to classify an offense as burglary.

Larceny – The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. It includes crimes such as shoplifting, purse snatching, bicycle thefts, etc., in which no use of force, violence, or fraud occurs. This offense category does not include offenses such as embezzlement, forgery, or bad checks.

Motor Vehicle Theft – The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle, including automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and snowmobiles.