Uniform Crime Report Program

Experts estimate that less than 40 percent of all serious crime is reported to the police (Pursley, 1994; Walker, 1993). Larceny, the category that includes certain white collar crimes, has the lowest reporting rate of any serious crime (Pursley, 1994, p. 102). Victims are more likely to report crimes that involve substantial dollar amounts or crimes that involve personal injury.

The primary, and the oldest, means for gathering crime statistics in the United States is the Uniform Crime Report Program (UCR). The UCR compiles statistics for Part I (index offenses) and Part II (other offenses). The eight crime categories in the Part I index are used as a barometer to measure changes in the incidence of crime. Part I offenses are murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, auto theft, and arson. These offenses are known collectively as the Crime Index, and are watched closely for trends.

. . .
been estimated . . . that 90 percent of crimes that involve computer manipulation are never reported" (p. 96). On-line fraud is a growing menace for organizations that maintain computer databases, which includes any major corporation. An experienced hacker recently gained access to Citibank's corporate cash-management system from his home computer. The thief was able to siphon off $400,000 before being apprehended (Holland, 1995, p. 96). Because of increasingly sophisticated technologies readily available in commercial outlets, computer thieves are gaining access to business files at an alarming rate. An emerging trend is the theft of a consumer's entire credit identity. In the past, credit card thieves would merely steal a card, make numerous purchases, and move on to the next target. The latest credit card fraud involves thieves who actually tap into a victim's files at a credit reporting agency. Armed with personal information such as social security numbers, driver's license numbers, addresses, and other pertinent credit data, the thief obtains new credit cards and loans, which only he or she controls. Some thieves even go so far as to fill out change of address cards at the local post office. That way applications,
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
York City, Keating Jr, Crime Index, Bock Jr, California Senate, UCR NCVS, Department Commerce, UCR UCR, , Reserve Board, white collar, financial institutions, check fraud, credit card, collar crime, white collar crime, law enforcement, collar crimes, white collar crimes, dark figure, law enforcement agencies, pursley 1994, card fraud, dark figure crime, credit card fraud,
Approximate Word count = 4566
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Uniform Crime Report Program