Offenses Cleared

Law enforcement agencies reporting
offenses to the national UCR Program
can clear these offenses in one of two
ways: by arrest or by exceptional
means. However, the administrative
closing or "clearing" of a case by a local
law enforcement agency does not neces-
sarily mean that the agency can clear an
offense for UCR purposes. To clear an
offense within the Program's guidelines,
the reporting agency must adhere to
certain criteria.

Cleared by Arrest

In the UCR Program, when a law en-
forcement agency reports that an offense
is cleared, or solved by arrest, all of the
following conditions have been met. At
least one person was:

• Arrested.

• Charged with the commission
of an offense.

• Turned over to the court for
prosecution.

The UCR Program counts clear-
ances by the number of offenses that are
solved, not by the number of persons
arrested. The arrest of one person may
clear several crimes. Conversely, the
arrest of many persons may clear only
one offense. In addition, the clearances
that an agency recorded in a particular
calendar year such as 2003 may include
offenses that occurred in previous years.

Cleared by Exceptional Means

When elements beyond law enforce-
ment's control prevent the agency from
placing formal charges against the of-
fender, the agency can clear the offense
exceptionally. There are four UCR Pro-
gram requirements that law enforcement
must meet in order to clear an offense

by exceptional means. The agency must
have:

• Identified the offender.

• Gathered enough evidence to
support an arrest, make a
charge, and turn over the
offender to the court for
prosecution.

• Identified the offender's exact
location so that the suspect
could be taken into custody
immediately.

• Encountered a circumstance
outside the control of

law enforcement that prohibits
the agency from arresting,
charging, and prosecuting the
offender.

Examples of exceptional clear-
ances include, but are not limited to, the
death of the offender (suicide, justifi-
ably killed by law enforcement officers
or private citizens, etc.); the victim's
refusal to cooperate with the prosecu-
tion after having identified the offender;
or the denial of extradition because the
offender committed a crime in another
jurisdiction and is being prosecuted for
that offense. In the UCR Program, the
recovery of property does not clear an
offense.

2003 National Clearances

Nationwide, law enforcement agencies
cleared 46.5 percent of violent crimes
(murder, forcible rape, robbery, and ag-
gravated assault) and 16.4 percent of
property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft,
and motor vehicle theft). Additionally,
law enforcement cleared 16.7 percent of
reported arson offenses.

Continuing a long-term trend,
in 2003 law enforcement cleared a
higher percentage of violent crimes than
property crimes. Violent crimes often

undergo a more vigorous investigative
effort than crimes against property, and
they more often involve victims and/or
witnesses who are able to identify the
perpetrators. A further breakdown of
the violent crime clearances for 2003
revealed that the Nation's law enforce-
ment agencies cleared 62.4 percent of
murders, 55.9 percent of aggravated
assaults, 44.0 percent of forcible rapes,
and 26.3 percent of robberies. A review
of the clearances for property crimes
indicated that law enforcement cleared
18.0 percent of larceny-thefts and 13.1
percent of both burglaries and motor ve-
hicle thefts. (See Table 25.)

2003 Regional Clearances

An examination of the 2003 clearance
data for the four regions of the country
showed that law enforcement agencies
in the Northeast cleared the highest per-
centage of violent crimes in 2003 — 49.8
percent. Agencies in the West followed
with a 47.2 clearance percentage for
violent crimes. Law enforcement in
the South and the Midwest cleared 45.7
percent and 44.8 percent, respectively, of
their violent crimes. Clearance data for
property crime reflected that agencies
in the Northeast cleared 20. 1 percent of
those crimes, and law enforcement in the
South and Midwest cleared 16.6 percent
and 16.5 percent, respectively. Agencies
in the West cleared 14.4 percent of their
property crimes. (See Table 26.)

2003 Clearances by Population
Group

When presenting crime data, the UCR
Program uses eight population group
designations for aggregating data for the
Nation's cities, metropolitan counties,
and nonmetropolitan counties.

OFFENSES CLEARED 255

Figure 3.1

Crimes Cleared by Arrest

Percent of crimes cleared by arrest, 2003

Murder 1 62.4

Aggravated Assault
Forcible Rape
Robbery
Larceny-theft
Motor Vehicle Theft
Burglary

Violent crime
Property crime

i i i i i i i i i i i

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

(Appendix III furnishes a breakdown of
these classifications.) Clearance data
for 2003 revealed that law enforcement
agencies in the Nation's cities cleared
44.7 percent of all reported violent
crimes. Agencies in cities collectively
cleared 61.9 percent of murders, 54.6
percent of aggravated assaults, 43.4 per-
cent of forcible rapes, and 25.7 percent
of robberies. Law enforcement in cities
with populations ranging from 10,000 to
24,999 cleared the greatest percentage
of murders — 71.8 percent. Cities with
100,000 to 249,999 inhabitants cleared
the lowest percentage of murders — 58.7
percent.

In 2003, agencies in metropolitan
counties cleared 51.6 percent of their vi-
olent crimes. Of those crimes, 60.0 per-
cent of murders were cleared, 58.8 per-
cent of aggravated assaults were cleared,
45.4 percent of forcible rapes, and 29.0
percent of robberies were cleared.

Law enforcement in nonmetro-
politan counties cleared 59.9 percent of
reported violent crimes. Within that cat-
egory, agencies in those counties cleared
76.3 percent of murders, 62.9 percent
of aggravated assaults, 46.8 percent of

forcible rapes, and 43.1 percent of
robberies.

An examination of data for prop-
erty crime clearances reflected that agen-
cies in the Nation's cities cleared 16.3
percent of those crimes in 2003. Of the
property crimes cleared, law enforce-
ment in cities collectively most often
solved larceny-theft offenses, clearing
18.1 percent of those crimes. Simi-
larly, agencies in metropolitan counties
cleared 16.2 percent of their total prop-
erty crimes, and they most often cleared
larceny-theft offenses, reporting a 17.4
clearance percentage for that category.
Data for nonmetropolitan counties re-
flected that law enforcement cleared
17.8 percent of their total property
crimes, and the highest percentage of
their clearances for that category — 27.1
percent — was for motor vehicle theft.
(See Table 25.)

Clearances Involving Only
Persons Under 18 Years of Age

When an offender under the age of 1 8 is
cited to appear in juvenile court or be-
fore other juvenile authorities, the UCR
Program considers that incident to be

cleared by arrest although a physical ar-
rest may not have occurred. In addition,
according to Program definitions, clear-
ances involving both adult and juvenile
offenders are classified as adult clear-
ances. Therefore, because the juvenile
clearance percentages in this publication
include only those clearances in which
there were no adults involved, these fig-
ures should not be used to present a de-
finitive picture of juvenile involvement
in crime.

Of the violent crime clearances
that were reported in the Nation's cit-
ies in 2003, 12.2 percent involved only
juveniles. In addition, 19.3 percent of
property crime clearances involved only
juveniles. Nationally, murder clear-
ances showed the lowest percentage of
involvement by juveniles only — 5.2 per-
cent, and arson clearances showed the
highest percentage — 41.3 percent.

Upon consideration of clearance
data broken down by population group,
12.2 percent of the violent crime clear-
ances in cities collectively involved ju-
veniles only, which mirrored the national
clearance percentage for violent crimes.
Of the city groups, cities with popula-
tions ranging from 25,000 to 49,999
reported the largest percentage of violent
crime clearances that involved juveniles
only — 14.9 percent. During 2003, 12.7
percent of violent crime clearances in
metropolitan counties and 9.8 percent
of the violent crime clearances in non-
metropolitan counties involved juveniles
only.

Property crime data for the
Nation's cities for 2003 showed that
20. 1 percent of the clearances for those
offenses involved juveniles only. In
metropolitan counties, 16.7 percent of
the property crime clearances involved
juveniles only; and in nonmetropolitan
counties, 15.7 percent of property crime
clearances involved juveniles only. (See
Table 28.)

256

CRIME IN THE UNITED STATES

Table 25

Percent of Offenses Cleared by Arrest or Exceptional Means

by Population Group, 2003
[2003 estimated population]

Violent crime

Murder
and non-
negligent
Violent man- Forcible
Population group crime slaughter rape Robbery

TOTAL ALL AGENCIES:
12,781 agencies;
population 236,223,505

Offenses known 1,126,180 13,373 76,714 328,951

Percent cleared by arrest 46.5 62.4 44.0 26.3

Aggravated Property
assault crime

707,142 8,728,536
55.9 16.4

Property crime

Motor

Larceny- vehicle
Burglary theft theft Arson 1

1,793,829 5,850,494 1,084,213 65,414
13.1 18.0 13.1 16.7

TOTAL CITIES: 9,050 cities;
population 156,449,643
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

882,189 10,387 56,395 284,361
44.7 61.9 43.4 25.7

531,046 6,829,725
54.6 16.3

1,303,202 4,655,542 870,981 48,102
12.5 18.1 12.3 16.5

GROUP I

62 cities, 250,000 and over;
population 38,800,523
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

390,601 5,498
40.2 60.1

17,617
47.8

146,873
23.0

220,613 2,216,153
50.6 12.8

429,385 1,378,410 408,358 19,460
11.0 14.2 10.1 10.9

8 cities, 1,000,000 and over;
population 13,684,275
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

143,795 1,899
41.6 56.4

5,579
48.5

56,459
24.1

79,858 700,897
53.1 12.7

136,801 418,599 145,497 6,420
11.3 14.2 9.5 9.3

20 cities, 500,000 to 999,999;
population 13,023,877
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

131,601 1,920
38.6 64.9

6,176
47.7

48,303
21.9

75,202 800,072
47.9 11.9

155,376 506,684 138,012 6,344
10.4 12.9 10.0 13.2

34 cities, 250,000 to 499,999;
population 12,092,371
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

115,205 1,679
40.3 58.8

5,862
47.3

42,111
22.8

65,553 715,184
50.5 13.9

137,208 453,127 124,849 6,696
11.5 15.5 11.0 10.1

GROUP II

158 cities, 100,000 to 249,999;
population 23,578,375
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

141,997 1,736
43.1 58.7

9,414
40.0

48,035
26.1

82,812 1,146,915
53.0 15.3

222,807 765,303 158,805 7,885
11.6 17.1 11.2 15.4

GROUP III

374 cities, 50,000 to 99,999;
population 25,886,988
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

123,611 1,185
46.0 63.2

9,172
40.4

37,310
27.8

75,944 1,038,809
55.4 17.2

202,977 716,893 118,939 6,746
12.1 19.6 11.5 18.1

GROUP IV

693 cities, 25,000 to 49,999;
population 24,075,976
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

4,801
49.0

753
66.4

7,529
40.2

22,856
30.7

53,663 855,299
57.8 18.7

160,746 616,551 78,002 5,300
12.7 20.8 14.7 19.3

GROUP V

1,545 cities, 10,000 to 24,999;
population 24,374,785
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

75,908
52.4

641
71.8

6,897
42.6

18,084
31.9

50,286 833,892
61.0 20.7

153,275 619,076 61,541 4,637
15.0 22.2 19.1 26.4

See footnotes at end of table.

OFFENSES CLEARED 257

Table 25

Percent of Offenses Cleared by Arrest or Exceptional Means

by Population Group, 2003 — Continued
[2003 estimated population]

Population group
GROUP VI

Violent
crime

Murder
and non-
negligent

man-
slaughter

Violent crime

Forcible
rape

Robbery

Aggravated Property
assault crime

Property crime

Burglary

Larceny-
theft

Motor
vehicle
theft Arson'

6,218 cities, under 10,000;
population 19,732,996
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

65,271
57.6

574
69.3

5,766
45.3

11,203
33.6

47,728
64.5

738,657
19.7

134,012
16.5

559,309
20.0

45,336 4,074

24.2

27.6

METROPOLITAN COUNTIES

1,537 agencies;
population 57,457,449
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

198,030
51.6

2,260
60.0

15,163
45.4

41,342
29.0

139,265
58.8

1,517,290
16.2

364,856
13.8

968,497
17.4

183,937 13,767

14.7

16.0

NONMETROPOLITAN COUNTIES

2,194 agencies;

population 22,316,413
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

45,961
59.9

726
76.3

5,156
46.8

3,248
43.1

36,831
62.9

381,521
17.8

125,771
16.3

226,455
17.5

29,295
27.1

3,545
23.5

SUBURBAN AREA 2

6,777 agencies;

population 105,694,902
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

338,098
51.4

3,434
62.4

27,034
44.3

77,599
29.4

230,031
59.6

3,069,739
17.4

642,917
13.8

2,104,718
18.9

322,104 22,911

15.2

IS

1 Because arson is reported to the FBI separately from other offenses, the number of agency reports used in arson clearance rates is less than those used in compiling other offense
clearance rates.

2 Suburban area includes law enforcement agencies in cities with less than 50,000 inhabitants and county law enforcement agencies that are within a Metropolitan Statistical Area (see
Appendix III). Suburban area excludes all metropolitan agencies associated with a principal city. The agencies associated with suburban areas also appear in other groups within this
table.

258

CRIME IN THE UNITED STATES

Table 26

Percent of Offenses Cleared by

by Geographic Region and Division,
[2003 estimated population]

Geographic region/division

TOTAL ALL AGENCIES:
12,781 agencies;
papulation 236,223,505

Offenses known

Percent cleared by arrest

Arrest or Exceptional Means

2003

Murder
and non-
negligent
Violent man-
crime slaughter

1,126,180 13,373
46.5 62.4

Violent crime

Forcible
rape Robbery

76,714 328,951
44.0 26.3

Property crime

Motor

Aggravated Property Larceny- vehicle

assault crime Burglary theft theft Arson'

707,142 8,728,536 1,793,829 5,850,494 1,084,213 65,414
55.9 16.4 13.1 18.0 13.1 16.7

NEW ENGLAND

741 agencies;

population 11,682,176
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

39,977
47.7

267
61.8

3,233
40.1

11.550
26.7

24,927 299,786 57,436

58.3 15.4 12.8

205,062 37,288 1,892
16.8 11.6 16.1

MIDDLE ATLANTIC

1,966 agencies;
population 30,177,502
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

104,790 1,352
50.6 68.6

6,615
52.6

39,799
31.2

57,024
63.5

723,637 136,259
22.0 19.1

501,242 86,136 5,597
23.9 15.7 22.3

NORTHEAST

2,707 agencies;

population 41,859,678
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

144,767
49.8

1,619
67.5

9,848
48.5

51,349
30.2

81,951
61.9

1,023,423 193,695
20.1 17.3

706,304 123,424 7,489
21.9 14.4 20.7

EAST NORTH CENTRAL

1,574 agencies;
population 26,650,577
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

100,910
40.6

1,330
56.1

10,349
35.6

29,653
23.2

59,578 894,348 180,790

49.8 15.4 11.5

609,681 103,877 8,810
17.0 12.8 14.2

WEST NORTH CENTRAL

1,751 agencies;
population 17,178,081
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

53,592 532
52.7 80.5

5,147
44.3

10,525
28.9

37,388 578,156 103,611 421,553 52,992 4,727

60.2 18.4 13.1 19.6 18.3 19.7

MIDWEST

3,325 agencies;

population 43,828,658
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

154,502
44.8

1,862
63.1

15,496
38.5

40,178
24.7

96,966 1,472,504 284,401 1,031,234 156,869 13,537
53.8 16.5 12.1 18.1 14.6 16.1

SOUTH ATLANTIC

2,575 agencies;

population 47,020,232
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

280,673 3,255
46.8 61.7

14,794
49.9

82,024
25.8

180,600 1,931,194 423,924 1,292,004 215,266 10,762
55.8 17.4 14.9 18.6 15.2 20.1

See footnotes at end of table.

OFFENSES CLEARED 259

Table 26

Percent of Offenses Cleared by

by Geographic Region and Division,
[2003 estimated population]

Arrest or Exceptional Means

2003— Continued

Geographic region/division
EAST SOUTH CENTRAL

Violent
crime

Murder
and non-
negligent

man-
slaughter

Violent crime

Forcible
rape

Robbery

Aggravated Property
assault crime

Property crime

Larceny-
Burglary theft

Motor
vehicle
theft Arson'

81 agencies;
population 11,884,622
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

65,626 803 4,495 17,348

41.5 70.7 38.7 22.2

42,980
49.0

515,909
16.0

125,552 343,043
11.0 18.0

47,314 2,288
15.0 19.6

WEST SOUTH CENTRAL

1,436 agencies;
population 29,495,670
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

165,455 2,178
45.4 66.1

11,160 46,649
46.1 25.5

105,468 1,335,007
53.7 15.7

292,835 912,624
11.5 17.2

129,548 9,827
14.3 17.4

SOUTH

4,892 agencies;

papulation 88,400,524
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

511,754
45.7

6,236
64.4

30,449
46.8

146,021
25.3

329,048 3,782,110
54.2 16.6

842,311 2,547,671
13.1 18.0

392,128 22,877
14.9 18.9

MOUNTAIN

736 agencies;

population 17,715,023
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

78,465
43.7

1,002
53.1

6,792
36.6

19,673
23.4

50,998
52.3

797,873
15.0

151,525 530,527
11.5 16.6

115,821 4,614
12.3 19.2

PACIFIC

1,121 agencies;
population 44,419,622
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

236,692
48.4

2,654
57.5

14,129
44.4

71,730
27.4

148,179 1,652,626
58.7 14.0

321,897 1,034,758
12.0 15.9

295,971 16,897
9.7 11.9

WEST

1,857 agencies;
population 62,134,645
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

315,157 3,656
47.2 56.3

20,921
41.9

91,403
26.5

199,177 2,450,499
57.1 14.4

473,422 1,565,285
11.8 16.1

411,792 21,511
10.4 13.5

1 Because arson is reported to the FBI separately from other offenses, the number of agency reports used in arson clearance rates is less than those used in compiling other offense
clearance rates.

260

CRIME IN THE UNITED STATES

Table 27

m

Percent of Offenses Cleared by Arrest or Exceptional Means

Breakdown of Offenses Known
by Population Group, 2003
[2003 estimated population]

Forcible rape Robbery Aggravated assault Burglary Motor vehicle theft Arson'

Assault Knife or Knife or Hands, Attempted Trucks

Rape by to rape- cutting Other Strong- cutting Other fists. Forcible Unlawful forcible and Other

Population group force attempts Firearm instrument weapon arm Firearm instrument weapon feet, etc. entry entry entry Autos buses vehicles Structure Mobile Other

TOTAL ALL AGENCIES:
12,168 agencies;
population 217,009,079

Offenses known 62,519 6,480 122,222 26,646 27,243 114,257 119,472 110,806 209,843 169,722 995,600 499,820 101,276 728,978 179,309 76,315 25,091 20,538 15,142

Percent cleared by arrest 43.2 43.7 20.9 27.9 27.8 30.8 39.7 61.4 55.6 63.9 12.4 14.1 11.0 13.3 11.0 12.1 21.5 6.8 20.9

TOTAL CITIES: 8,712 cities;
population 146,707,339

Offenses known 47,207 5,177 106,304 23,636 23,619 102,392 96,561 90,004 163,525 125,901 738,357 371,073 78,084 609,876 145,332 51,486 19,135 14,523 11,382

Percent cleared by arrest 42.9 43.6 20.7 27.4 27.1 30.4 37.2 60.4 54.2 64.6 11.9 13.7 10.5 12.6 10.5 11.3 20.9 6.2 21.5

GROUP I

57 cities, 250,000 and over;
population 36,423,898

Offenses known 14,749 2,016 59,968 11,915 11,465 50,947 52,180 38,230 71,257 38,019 269,594 105,310 21,662 274,588 88,425 21,222 7,462 7,703 2,984

Percent cleared by arrest 47.2 50.3 18.6 24.7 24.0 28.0 32.7 58.2 52.0 65.2 10.4 12.1 9.7 10.8 8.3 8.5 15.0 3.6 18.5

8 cities, 1,000,000 and over;
population 13,684,275

Offenses known 4,703 876 25,562 5,670 4,465 20,762 21,109 14,534 24,193 20,022 93,610 36,110 7,081 99,213 37,745 8,539 2,194 3,160 1,066

Percent cleared by arrest 48.2 50.1 18.8 25.2 26.1 29.9 31.3 57.1 52.2 74.4 10.9 12.6 10.1 11.1 6.0 6.3 14.8 1.9 19.8

18 cities, 500,000 to 999,999;
population 11,602,906

Offenses known 5,149 610 19,214 3,466 4,300 14,640 16,761 13,300 26,341 8,350 95,979 34,770 7,928 89,702 28,960 7,655 2,841 2,062 646

Percent cleared by arrest 47.3 51.1 16.8 24.4 22.0 26.7 33.0 56.2 50.3 52.1 9.3 10.3 9.4 10.0 10.0 4.6 17.5 4.9 20.6

31 cities, 250,000 to 499,999;
population 11,136,717

Offenses known 4,897 530 15,192 2,779 2,700 15,545 14,310 10,396 20,723 9,647 80,005 34,430 6,653 85,673 21,720 5,028 2,427 2,481 1,272

O

Tl

3 GROUP II

m

Percent cleared by arrest 46.3 49.8 20.6 24.0 23.7 26.8 34.3 62.4 54.0 57.5 11.0 13.3 9.5 11.1 10.2 18.2 12.4 4.7 16.3

144 cities, 100,000 to 249,999;

W population 21,373,745

O Offenses known 7,412 1,015 17,828 4,100 4,121 16,643 15,208 14,637 27,401 15,405 125,942 57,398 12,790 112,364 23,019 7,525 3,081 2,301 1,899

m Percent cleared by arrest 39.9 31.1 21.7 26.4 27.3 29.8 37.9 60.1 52.3 62.6 11.2 12.7 11.3 11.0 10.6 10.1 19.0 5.6 19.5

>
D

m

D

on See footnotes at end of table.

& Table 27

to

Percent of Offenses Cleared by Arrest or Exceptional Means

Breakdown of Offenses Known
by Population Group, 2003 — Continued
^ [2003 estimated population]

m Forcible rape Robbery Aggravated assault Burglary Motor vehicle theft Arson 1

m

D

_l Assault Knife or Knife or Hands, Attempted Trucks

X Rape by to rape- cutting Other Strong- cutting Other fists. Forcible Unlawful forcible and Other

^ Population group force attempts Firearm instrument weapon arm Firearm instrument weapon feet, etc. entry entry entry Autos buses vehicles Structure Mobile Other

§ GROUP III

344 cities, 50,000 to 99,999;
population 23,733,013

Offenses known 7,520 675 11,945 3,166 3,161 14,164 11,426 12,845 23,501 18,441 106,668 60,272 13,899 87,085 13,174 6,692 2,616 1,741 1,954

Percent cleared by arrest 39.5 43.4 21.8 30.5 29.2 31.7 38.3 60.3 55.1 62.2 11.3 13.4 9.7 11.1 11.5 11.4 21.9 7.6 20.5

GROUP IV

655 cities, 25,000 to 49,999;
population 22,708,306

Offenses known 6,455 488 6,996 2,022 2,080 8,734 6,510 9,091 15,656 16,193 83,672 51,119 11,130 57,961 8,091 5,599 2,080 1,186 1,747

Percent cleared by arrest 39.3 39.5 25.7 31.0 31.8 34.3 44.4 61.1 56.3 61.8 12.0 13.8 9.9 14.3 15.5 12.4 24.2 9.3 20.3

GROUP V

1,475 cities, 10,000 to 24,999;
population 23,301,899

Offenses known 6,030 510 5,738 1,514 1,668 7,422 6,208 8,396 14,081 16,814 82,230 49,638 10,018 45,427 6,968 5,440 1,949 914 1,538

Percent cleared by arrest 42.5 42.0 26.8 35.4 33.6 36.0 49.0 64.8 59.4 65.5 14.9 15.9 11.6 19.3 18.6 16.1 30.4 14.8 28.4

GROUP VI

6,037 cities, under 10,000;
population 19,166,478

Offenses known 5,041 473 3,829 919 1,124 4,482 5,029 6,805 11,629 21,029 70,251 47,336 8,585 32,451 5,655 5,008 1,947 678 1,260

Percent cleared by arrest 44.8 47.4 27.1 35.1 33.5 38.4 56.5 67.0 60.5 68.4 16.7 16.6 12.4 25.1 23.7 18.4 31.6 17.8 26.4

METROPOLITAN COUNTIES

1,368 agencies;
population 48,896,786

Offenses known 10,820 964 14,716 2,760 3,238 10,812 17,260 16,176 36,712 30,249 181,155 92,034 17,251 102,710 28,989 18,449 4,219 5,164 2,957

Percent cleared by arrest 43.2 42.8 20.4 30.2 31.5 33.3 45.9 65.0 60.3 61.4 12.6 14.7 11.0 14.9 11.4 12.1 23.2 6.9 17.6

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 27

Percent of Offenses Cleared by Arrest or Exceptional Means

Breakdown of Offenses Known

by Population Group, 2003 — Continued

[2003 estimated population]

Forcibi

e rape

Robbery

Aggravated assault

Burglary

Motor vehicle theft

Arson'

Population group

Rape by
force

Assault
to rape-
attempts

Firearm

Knife or
cutting
instrument

Other
weapon

Strong-
arm

Firearm

Knife or
cutting
instrument

Other
weapon

Hands,
fists,
feet, etc.

Forcible
entry

Unlawful
entry

Attempted
forcible
entry

Trucks
and
buses

Other
vehicles

Structure

Mobile

Other

NON METROPOLITAN COUNTIES

2,088 agencies;

population 21,404,954
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

4,492
46.5

47.8

1,202
39.2

250
49.6

386
43.8

1,053
48.4

5,651
61.9

4,626
69.4

9,606
62.5

13,572
63.6

76,088
16.2

36,713
16.2

5,941
18.3

16,392
30.8

4,988
25.5

6,380
17.9

1,737
25.0

851
15.4

803
24.4

SUBURBAN AREA 2

6,381 agencies;

population 94,684,897
Offenses known
Percent cleared by arrest

20,911
42.8

1,826
42.9

26,236
22.0

5,762
30.9

6,534
31.3

24,672
34.0

26,911
46.6

29,549
64.7

61,233
59.7

62,422
63.7

320,406
13.0

184,901
14.8

36,507
10.7

205,106
15.2

43,505
13.0

29,421
12.8

7,877
25.3

7,080
8.4

6,025
20.8

1 Because arson is reported to the FBI separately from other offenses, the number of agency reports used in arson clearance rates is less than those used in compiling other offense clearance rates. Agencies must report arson clearances
by detailed property classification as specified on the Monthly Return of Arson Offenses Known to Law Enforcement to be included in this table; therefore, clearances in this table may differ from other clearance tables.

2 Suburban area includes law enforcement agencies in cities with less than 50,000 inhabitants and county law enforcement agencies that are within a Metropolitan Statistical Area (see Appendix III). Suburban area excludes all
metropolitan agencies associated with a principal city. The agencies associated with suburban areas also appear in other groups within this table.

Table 28

Number of Offenses Cleared by Arrest or Exceptional Means

Percent of Clearances Involving Persons Under 1 8 Years of Age
by Population Group, 2003
[2003 estimated population]

Population group

TOTAL ALL AGENCIES:

11,814 agencies;
population 209,050,305
Total clearances
Percent under 18

Murder
and non-
negligent
Violent man-
crime slaughter

435,481
12.2

7,074
5.2

Violent crime

Forcible
rape

28,735
11.5

Robbery

72,278
14.1

Aggravated Property
assault crime

327,394 1,215,611
11.9 19.3

Property crime

Motor

Larceny- vehicle
Burglary theft theft Arson 1

195,744
16.8

898,948 120,919 9,744
20.2 17.3 41.3

TOTAL CITIES: 8,525 cities;
population 140,970,503
Total clearances
Percent under 18

339,526 5,500 21,569 62,963

12.2 5.3 10.6 14.2

249,494 975,395
12.0 20.1

140,819
16.8

740,728 93,848 7,113
21.0 17.8 44.2

GROUP I

54 cities, 250,000 and over;
population 34,515,076
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

135,898 2,714 7,622 29,536

10.0 6.1 7.2 13.1

96,026
9.3

248,822
16.7

40,747 170,797 37,278 1,791
13.3 17.0 18.9 38.7

8 cities, 1,000,000 and over;
population 13,684,275
Total clearances
Percent under 18

59,797 1,071 2,707 13,604

9.0 7.0 8.3 12.9

42,415
7.8

88,831
15.5

15,461 59,575 13,795 596

11.9 16.3 16.3 40.8

15 cities, 500,000 to 999,999;
population 9,694,084
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

35,936 737 2,386 7,328

9.9 4.1 7.0 12.1

25,485
9.7

69,200
15.5

11,270
11.9

47,121 10,809 564
14.9 21.7 30.9

31 cities, 250,000 to 499,999;
population 11,136,717
Total clearances
Percent under 18

40,165 906 2,529 8,604

11.5 6.6 6.2 14.2

28,126
11.3

90,791
18.8

14,016
16.0

64,101 12,674 631
19.3 19.2 43.9

GROUP II

136 cities, 100,000 to 249,999;
population 20,204,537
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

50,408
12.2

4.9

2,968
10.1

10,372
15.3

36,182
11.7

143,625
19.8

21,148
15.5

108,009 14,468 1,031
21.2 15.7 41.6

GROUP III

332 cities, 50,000 to 99,999;
population 22,994,251
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

48,445
13.6

660
5.6

3,189
12.6

8,722
15.6

35,874
13.3

154,329
22.5

20,907
18.0

121,870 11,552 1,106
23.6 18.6 45.8

GROUP IV

642 cities, 25,000 to 49,999;
population 22,275,240
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

36,151
14.9

442
4.1

2,702
13.4

6,028
15.5

26,979
15.1

141,804
22.4

17,821
19.0

113,942 10,041 967
23.4 17.4 46.0

See footnotes at end of table.

264

CRIME IN THE UNITED STATES

Table 28

Number of Offenses Cleared by Arrest or Exceptional Means

Percent of Clearances Involving Persons Under 1 8 Years of Age
by Population Group, 2003 — Continued
[2003 estimated population]

Population group
GROUP V

Violent
crime

Murder
and non-
negligent

man-
slaughter

Violent crime

Forcible
rape

Robbery

Aggravated Property
assault crime

Property crime

Burglary

Larceny-
theft

Motor
vehicle
theft Arson 1

1,402 cities, 10,000 to 24,999;
population 22,166,613
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

34,399 419
14.0 3.6

2,656
13.2

4,989
14.2

26,335
14.2

153,132
21.2

20,077 122,778
18.8 21.9

10,277 1,146
17.3 48.3

GROUP VI

5,959 cities, under 10,000;
population 18,814,786
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

34,225 379
14.6 4.0

2,432
13.3

3,316
15.2

28,098
14.7

133,683
20.1

20,119
20.3

103,332
20.4

10,232
16.5

1,072
48.5

METROPOLITAN COUNTIES

1,292 agencies;
population 47,528,319
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

71,476 1,075
12.7 4.8

4,977
13.6

5,131
13.8

57,293
12.6

180,004
16.7

36,704
17.0

123,273
16.8

20,027
15.3

1,860
37.1

NONMETROPOLITAN COUNTIES

1,997 agencies;
population 20,55 1,483
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

24,479 499
9.8 4.2

2,189
16.0

1,184
8.6

20,607
9.4

60,212
15.7

18,221
16.2

34,947
15.0

7,044
17.6

771
24.6

SUBURBAN AREA 2

6,182 agencies;

population 91,824,179
Total clearances
Percent under 1 8

132,743 1,780
14.1 4.7

9,494
13.8

17,272
15.2

104,197
14.1

433,692
19.1

69,988
18.3

324,498
19.6

39,206 3,828
16.0 45.0

1 Because arson is reported to the FBI separately from other offenses, the number of agency reports used in arson clearance rates is less than those used in compiling other offense
clearance rates.

2 Suburban area includes law enforcement agencies in cities with less than 50,000 inhabitants and county law enforcement agencies that are within a Metropolitan Statistical Area

(see Appendix III). Suburban area excludes all metropolitan agencies associated with a principal city. The agencies associated with suburban areas also appear in other groups within
this table.

OFFENSES CLEARED 265