rime in exas index crime analysis

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DEFINITION Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, as defined in the UCR program, is the willful killing of one human being by another. This offense category includes any death resulting from a fight, argument, quarrel, assault or commis- sion of a crime. Attempted murder and assaults with the intent to kill are not counted as murder, but are included in UCR as aggravated assaults. Sui- cides, accidental deaths, and justifiable homicides are also excluded from the murder classification. The classification of this offense, as well as for all Index Crimes, is based solely on police investiga- tion and not upon determinations by courts, medical examiners, coroners, juries, or other judi- cial bodies. ANALYSIS Volume The reported number of murders committed in Texas in 2014 was 1,187. This represented a 3.1 percent increase in the number of murders when compared to 2013. More persons were murdered in Texas in June, while the fewest were killed during March. Property loss during the commission of the crime of murder amounted to $214,341. Rate The murder rate for Texas in 2014 was 4.4 murders for every 100,000 persons, which remained the same as 2013 (0% rate change). Clearance Rate Texas law enforcement agencies continue to be successful in solving a greater percentage of mur- ders than any other Index Crime. In 2014, 71.2 percent of all murders were cleared by arrest or exceptional means. Nature Of the 1,187 murders in 2014, 63.3 percent were committed by the use of firearms. Knives or cutting instruments were the weapons of choice in 10.4 per- cent of the reported cases. The use of strong-arm weapons (hands, feet and fists) accounted for 7.6 percent of the murders. Blunt objects were utilized 2014 CRIME IN TEXAS 12 M URDER Murder by Month Totals - 2014 Murder Offenses 2004-2014 INDEX CRIME ANALYSIS 3

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DEFINITIONMurder and nonnegligent manslaughter, as definedin the UCR program, is the willful killing of onehuman being by another.This offense category includes any death resultingfrom a fight, argument, quarrel, assault or commis-sion of a crime. Attempted murder and assaultswith the intent to kill are not counted as murder, butare included in UCR as aggravated assaults. Sui-cides, accidental deaths, and justifiable homicidesare also excluded from the murder classification.The classification of this offense, as well as for allIndex Crimes, is based solely on police investiga-tion and not upon determinations by courts,medical examiners, coroners, juries, or other judi-cial bodies.

ANALYSISVolumeThe reported number of murders committed inTexas in 2014 was 1,187. This represented a 3.1percent increase in the number of murders whencompared to 2013. More persons were murdered inTexas in June, while the fewest were killed duringMarch. Property loss during the commission of thecrime of murder amounted to $214,341.

RateThe murder rate for Texas in 2014 was 4.4 murdersfor every 100,000 persons, which remained thesame as 2013 (0% rate change).

Clearance RateTexas law enforcement agencies continue to besuccessful in solving a greater percentage of mur-ders than any other Index Crime. In 2014, 71.2

percent of all murders were cleared by arrest orexceptional means.

NatureOf the 1,187 murders in 2014, 63.3 percent werecommitted by the use of firearms. Knives or cuttinginstruments were the weapons of choice in 10.4 per-cent of the reported cases. The use of strong-armweapons (hands, feet and fists) accounted for 7.6percent of the murders. Blunt objects were utilized

2014 CRIME IN TEXAS

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MURDER

Murder by Month Totals - 2014

Murder Offenses 2004-2014

INDEX CRIME ANALYSIS 3

2014 CRIME IN TEXAS INDEX CRIME ANALYSIS

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in 2.9 percent of the murders and in the remaining15.8 percent, the murder weapon of choice waslisted as unknown or other, which includes poison,fire, drugs, drowning, strangulation and asphyxia-tion.Of the murders in which firearms were the instru-ment, handguns accounted for 65.1 percent of theweapons (or 39 percent of all murders). Shotgunswere employed in 3.3 percent of the firearm mur-ders, rifles were used in 4 percent and firearmswhose type was not stated accounted for theremaining27.6 percent.

Persons ArrestedWhen compared to 2013 statistics, the number ofpersons arrested for the crime of murder in Texasincreased by 9.7 percent. Of the persons arrestedfor murder, 88 percent were male; 4 percent were

age 16 and under, 67 percent were White and 32percent were Black; none were American Indian/Alaskan Native and 0.8 percent were Asian. Nonewere Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; 59 percentwere not Hispanic and 41 percent were Hispanic.

Justifiable HomicideStatistics on murder circumstances, victims, andvictim/offender relationships on the next pageinclude justifiable homicides. Justifiable homicide isthe killing of a felon by a peace officer in the line ofduty or the killing (during the commission of afelony) of a felon by a private citizen. In 2014, therewere 103 justifiable homicides, of which, 48 werefelons killed by private citizens, and 55 were felonskilled by police.

Murder CircumstancesSupplementary homicide information on murdercircumstances is collected in two broad categories:felony type and non-felony type. While, in Texas, allmurders are felonies, felony type circumstancesrefer to murders which occur in conjunction with thecommission of another crime.

Murder Weapons

Murder Weapon: Type of Firearm

Murder Arrestees

MURDER VICTIMSLaw enforcement agencies participating in UCRprovide additional homicide information so that anin-depth analysis of murder is possible. Throughthe Supplemental Homicide Reporting system,information is provided that identifies the age, sex,race and ethnic origin of both victims and offend-ers; the relationship of the victim to the offender;the murder weapon; and the circumstances of theoffense.Based on the information relating to murder victimsit was determined that 74 percent of murdervictims, in 2014, were male and 26 percent werefemale. The age group with the greatest number ofmurder victims for males is the 20 to 24 age group.

The age group with the greatest number of murdervictims for females is the 20 to 24 age group.Of the victims whose race was known, 65 percentwere White, 32 percent were Black and the remain-ing 3 percent were American Indian/AlaskanNative, Asian, or Native Hawaiian/Other PacificIslander.For both White and Black victims, the most com-mon age group was the 20 to 24 age bracket. Ofthe murder victims whose ethnicity was known, 59percent were not Hispanic and 38 percent wereHispanic; the final 3 percent were Unknown.

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Murder Circumstances

TypeGroup% Circumstance

Total%

Felony 13.7%

Rape 0.0Robbery 7.1Burglary 0.3Larceny 0.0Motor Vehicle Theft 0.2Arson 0.08Prostitution & Commercialized Vice 0.0Other Sex Offenses 0.08Narcotic Drug Laws 2.9Gambling 0.0Other Felony Type 2.8All Suspected Felony Type 0.3

NonFelony 86.3%

Lover’s Triangle 0.8Child Killed by Baby Sitter 0.0Brawl Due to Influence of Alcohol 0.3Brawl Due to Influence of Narcotics 0.3Argument Over Money or Property 1.0Other Arguments 28.0Gangland Killings 0.6Juvenile Gang Killings 0.08Institutional Killings 0.0Sniper Attack 0.0Other Circumstances 19.3Felon Killed by Private Citizen 3.7Unknown 34.5

Relationship of Victim to OffenderRelationship

TypeGroup%

Victim’sRelationship

Total%

Family 19.2%

Husband 1.4Wife 5.3Common-Law Husband 0.5Common-Law Wife 0.8Mother 0.7Father 1.3Son 1.8Daughter 1.5Brother 0.8Sister 0.08In-Law 0.8Stepfather 0.3Stepmother 0.0Stepson 0.5Stepdaughter 0.5Other Family 2.9

NotFamily,but

Knownto

Victim

30.4%

Neighbor 0.9Acquaintance 16.1Boyfriend 1.1Girlfriend 3.3Ex-Husband 0.08Ex-Wife 0.8Employee 0.08Employer 0.2Friend 3.5Homosexual Relationship 0.3Other--Known to Victim 4.0

Other 50.8%Stranger 18.1Unknown Relationship 32.7

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Murder Victims by Age and Sex

Murder Offenders by Age and Sex

DEFINITIONFor 2014, the Rape definition has been redefined bythe FBI in the Uniform Crime Reporting program as:

“Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vaginaor anus with any body part or object, or oral pen-etration by a sex organ of another person,without the consent of the victim.”

This redefinition will cause an increase in the num-ber of Rapes to be reported in 2014. Statisticsreported in this crime category include assaults tocommit rape; however, statutory rape (rape againsta female under the age of consent) is excluded.

ANALYSISVolumeThe reported number of rapes committed in Texasin 2014 was 11,466. This represented an increaseof 54.1 percent in the number of rapes when com-pared to 2013. More rapes were committed inTexas in July than in any other month, while thefewest rapes were committed during December.Property loss during the commission of rapeamounted to $181,392.

RateThe rape rate for Texas in 2014 was 42.6 rapes forevery 100,000 persons. This is an increase of 51.6percent from 2013.

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RAPE

Rape by Month - 2014

Rape Offenses 2004-2014

Rape Arrests by Year 2004-2014

Nature of Rape

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Clearance RateStatewide, Texas law enforcement agencies con-tinue to be successful in clearing 34.3 percent of allrapes that were reported. With the attempts tocommit rape, 36.6 percent were cleared.

NatureRape differs from other violent crimes because, inmany cases, the victim is hesitant to report theoffense to police. The rigors of court procedures,embarrassment and fear of any accompanyingstigma exert a deterrent effect upon the victim’swillingness to contact the police. The presence ofprior relationship between the victim and offendermay make the determination of force difficult toestablish, while the usual clandestine nature of thiscrime presents a problem in verification. Asattitudes towards the reporting of rape change,trends in the number of reported offenses can beexpected to change accordingly.

Of all reported rapes during 2014, 4 percent wereattempts to commit rape.

Persons ArrestedWhen compared with 2013, the number of personsarrested for rape increased 23.4 percent to 2,085.Of the rape arrestees in 2014, 14 percent werejuveniles (16 and under) and the remainder wereadults; 95 percent were male; 75.8 percent wereWhite, 23.7 percent were Black, and the remaining0.5 percent were American Indian/Alaskan Nativeor Asian; 58 percent were not Hispanic and 42percent were Hispanic. The 15 to 19 age grouphad the highest number of arrests.

Rape Arrestees by Age and Sex

DEFINITIONRobbery, in the Uniform Crime Reporting program,is defined as the taking or attempting to take any-thing of value from the care, custody, or control of aperson or persons by force, threat of force or vio-lence, or by putting the victim in fear.Robbery is a violent crime that frequently results ininjury to the victim. Included in this category areassaults to commit robbery and attemptedrobberies.

ANALYSISVolumeThe reported number of robberies committed inTexas in 2014 was 30,857. This represented a 3.1percent decrease in the number of robberies whencompared with 2013. More robberies were commit-ted in Texas in January than in any other month,while the fewest robberies were committed duringthe month of March.

RateThe robbery rate for Texas in 2014 was 114.6 rob-beries for every 100,000 persons. The change inthe rate of robbery from 2013 was a decrease of4.8 percent.

Clearance RateStatewide, Texas law enforcement agencies weresuccessful in clearing or solving by arrest 22 per-cent of all robberies that were reported. Of therobberies by type of weapon used, the highestclearance rate was knife or cutting instrument at28.2 percent, next highest was strong-arm at26.5 percent, other dangerous weapons had aclearance rate of 26.3 percent, and the classifica-tion of firearm had a clearance rate of 17.3 percent.

NatureIn 2014, property loss during the commission of rob-beries amounted to $75,965,929. The state totalwas a 16.5 percent increase from the property lossexperienced in 2013. The value of property stolenduring robberies averaged $2,462 per incident.

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ROBBERY

Reported Robberies by Month - 2014

Robbery Offenses 2004-2014

Value Lost to Robbery 2004-2014

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Average dollar losses ranged from $1,613 takenduring robberies of gas/service stations to $5,367per bank robbery. The impact of this violent crimecannot be measured in terms of monetary lossalone. While the object of robbery is money orproperty, the crime involves force or threat of forceand many victims suffer serious personal injury.Robberies on streets or highways accounted for 29percent of the offenses in this category. Robberiesof residencies accounted for 23.5 percent of thetotal, and robberies occurring at commercial andfinancial establishments, 17 percent. The remain-der were convenience stores and gas stations (9.5percent) and miscellaneous types (21 percent).

Of all reported robberies in 2014, 51 percent werecommitted with the use of firearms. Strong-arm tac-tics accounted for 33 percent, other dangerousweapons were used in 8 percent and knives or cut-ting instruments also at 8 percent.

Persons ArrestedStatewide arrests for robbery in 2014 amounted to6,342 persons. When compared with 2013, thenumber of persons arrested for robbery decreased7 percent. Of the robbery arrestees in 2014, 12percent were juveniles with the remainder beingadults; 85 percent were male; 54 percent wereWhite; 45 percent were Black; 67 percent were notHispanic and 33 percent were Hispanic. The agegroup reflecting the largest number of robberyarrestees was the 15-to-19-year-old bracket.Robbery Locations

Robbery LocationsOffenses Compared with Value Lost

Robbery Weapons

Robbery Arrestees by Age and Sex

DEFINITIONAggravated Assault is defined in the Uniform CrimeReporting program, as an unlawful attack by oneperson upon another for the purpose of inflictingsevere or aggravated bodily injury. This type ofassault is usually accompanied by the use of aweapon or by means likely to produce death orgreat bodily harm. Statistics for aggravated assaultinclude attempts to commit aggravated assault.

ANALYSISVolumeThe reported number of aggravated assaultscommitted in Texas, in 2014, was 65,338. Thisrepresented an increase of 0.1 percent whencompared to 2013. More aggravated assaultswere committed in Texas in August than in anyother month, while the fewest aggravated assaultswere committed during February.

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RateThe aggravated assault rate for Texas in 2014 was242.6 aggravated assaults for every 100,000 per-sons. The change in the rate of aggravated assaultfrom 2013 was a decrease of 1.7 percent.

NatureOf all reported aggravated assaults in 2014, 24.2percent were committed with the use of firearms.Other dangerous weapons accounted for 33.2 per-cent of the aggravated assaults. Knives or cuttinginstruments accounted for another 21.2 percentand Strong- arm weapons (hands, feet, fist, etc.)made up the remaining 21.4 percent.The use or attempted use of a dangerous weaponin an assault or the serious injury inflicted byhands, fists or feet is what separates this indexoffense from assaults categorized as “simpleassaults”. Texans reported 287,224 simpleassaults in 2014.

Aggravated Assault Offenses2004-2014

Aggravated Assault by Month - 2014

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

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Clearance RateStatewide, Texas law enforcement agencies weresuccessful in clearing 50 percent of all aggravatedassaults that were reported. Of the aggravatedassaults by type of weapon used, knife or cuttinginstrument assaults experienced the highest rateof clearance (61 percent), while aggravated assaultby firearm showed the lowest rate of clearance (37percent).

Persons ArrestedTexas law enforcement agencies arrested 21,327persons for aggravated assault in 2014. Whencompared with 2013, the number of aggravatedassault arrests decreased by 1.6 percent. Of theaggravated assault arrestees in 2014, 7.3 percentwere juveniles (16 and under); 77 percent weremale; 70 percent were White; 29 percent wereBlack and the remainder were other races; 35percent were Hispanic and 65 percent were notHispanic. The age group with the highest numberof aggravated assault arrestees was the 20-to-24-year-old bracket.

Aggravated Assault Weapons Aggravated Assault as a Percentageof All Violent Crime

Aggravated Assault Arrestees by Age and Sex

DEFINITIONBurglary, for Uniform Crime Reporting purposes, isthe unlawful entry of a structure with the intent tocommit a felony or a theft. While the use of force togain entry is not required to classify an offense asburglary, attempted forcible entries to commit bur-glary are counted in this crime’s statistics.

ANALYSISVolumeThe reported number of burglaries committedin Texas in 2014 was 166,429. This numberrepresents a 12.6 percent decrease whencompared with the number of burglaries in 2013.More burglaries were committed in January thanin any other month. The month with the fewestburglaries was February.

RateThe 2014 burglary rate for Texas was 618.1 forevery 100,000 persons. The change in the burglaryrate from 2013 was a decrease of 14.2 percent.

2014 CRIME IN TEXAS INDEX CRIME ANALYSIS

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BURGLARY

NatureOf all reported burglaries in 2014, 70 percentoccurred at residences. Forcible entry accountedfor 63 percent of all burglaries, while 33 percentwere unlawful entries without force and the remain-der were forcible entry attempts. Of the offenses forwhich the time of occurrence was known, 42 per-cent were during the day with 27 percent during thenight, and the value lost was greater during the day(43 percent) than at night (22 percent).

Burglary Offenses2004-2014

Burglary by Month - 2014 Burglary by Method

2014 CRIME IN TEXAS INDEX CRIME ANALYSIS

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ValueIn 2014, Texas burglary victims suffered lossestotaling $422,340,792. This total represented adecrease of 20.3 percent when compared to 2013total burglary losses. The average dollar loss perburglary was $2,538. The average loss for residen-tial offenses was $2,506, while for non-residentialproperty, it was $2,597.

Clearance RateStatewide, Texas law enforcement agencies weresuccessful in clearing or solving by arrest 10.7 per-cent of all burglaries reported. Burglaries classifiedas unlawful entry had the highest rate of clearance(12.2 percent). Forcible entry had 10 percent andattempted forcible entry had an 8.6 percent clear-ance rate.

Persons ArrestedIn 2014, 14,901 arrests for burglary were made byTexas law enforcement agencies. When comparedto 2013, the number of persons arrested for bur-glary decreased 9 percent. Of the burglaryarrestees, 15 percent were juveniles (16 andunder) with the remainder being adults; 87 percentwere male; 72 percent were White; 27 percentwere Black; 63 percent were not Hispanic and 37percent were Hispanic. The age group with thelargest number of burglary arrestees was the 15-to-19 year-old group.

Value Lost to Burglary 2004-2014

Burglary by Locations

Burglary Arrestees by Age and Sex

Burglary by Time of Day

DEFINITIONLarceny-Theft, in the Uniform Crime Reporting pro-gram, is the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, orriding away of property from the possession or con-structive possession of another. Larceny-Theftincludes crimes such as shoplifting, pocket-picking,purse-snatching, thefts from motor vehicles, theftsof motor vehicle parts and accessories, bicyclethefts, and other things of value in which no use offorce, violence or fraud occurs.This crime classification does not include embez-zlement, ‘con’ games, forgery, and the passing ofworthless checks. Motor vehicle theft is notincluded in this category as it is a separate indexcrime offense.

ANALYSISVolumeThe reported number of thefts committed in Texasin 2014 was 570,385, making this the largest crimecategory of the Index Crimes. The volume of theftin 2014 decreased 5.6 percent from 2013. Morethefts were committed in Texas in July than in anyother month, while the fewest thefts were commit-ted during February. It is reasonable to expect that

2014 CRIME IN TEXAS INDEX CRIME ANALYSIS

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many offenses in this category, particularly wherethe value of goods stolen is small, are neverreported to police agencies.

RateThe 2014 theft rate for Texas was 2,118.3 thefts forevery 100,000 persons. The change in the theftrate from 2013 was a decrease of 7.3 percent.

Theft Offenses2004-2014

Theft by Month - 2014Value Lost to Theft 2004-2014

LARCENY-THEFT

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NatureIn 2014, theft victims suffered losses totaling$690,171,153. This total represents an increaseof 0.5 percent when compared with 2013 totaltheft losses. The average dollar loss per theft was$1,210, up from $1,136 in 2013. Thefts in the‘under $50’ category accounted for 27 percent ofall reported thefts (but only 0.3 percent of the valuelost), while thefts of values greater than $200accounted for 52 percent of the total (and 97.7 per-cent of the total value lost). The remainder of thethefts were between $50 and $200--these theftsaccounted for 21 percent of the volume (and 2percent of the value lost).For data collection, larceny-theft is divided intonine categories: pocket-picking, purse-snatching,shoplifting, thefts from motor vehicles, theft ofmotor vehicle parts, theft of bicycles, theft frombuildings, theft from coin-operated machines, andall other thefts (except motor vehicles). Of the ninetheft categories, the highest average theft was allother thefts, which yielded an average $1,882 perreported occurrence. Thefts from motor vehiclesaveraged $1,187 per report, while the averagepurse-snatching resulted in a $589 loss and theaverage loss to victims of pocket-picking was $580.The lowest average value lost to theft was shoplift-ing with an average of $191.

Clearance RateStatewide, Texas law enforcement agencies weresuccessful in clearing or solving by arrest 20 per-

cent of all reported thefts. As with other non-violentproperty crimes, theft is primarily a crime of oppor-tunity. The factors of opportunity and stealth workin the favor of perpetrators and against policedetection, thereby reducing available solutions forthis offense.

Persons ArrestedTexas law enforcement agencies made 108,775larceny-theft arrests in 2014. When compared with2013, the number of persons arrested for theftdecreased 2.2 percent. Of the theft arrestees, 10percent were juveniles (16 and under); 58 percentwere male; 73 percent were White; 26 percentwere Black and the remainder were other races;66 percent were not Hispanic and 34 percent wereHispanic. The age group with the largest number oftheft arrestees was the 15-to-19 year-old group.

Theft Type - Offenses & Value Stolen

Theft Arrestees by Age and Sex

Value of Property Stolen in Theft

Type of Theft# of

OffensesPropertyAmount

AverageLoss

Pocket-Picking 3,457 $2,006,414 $580.00

Purse-Snatching 2,015 $1,187,455 $589.00

Shoplifting 117,230 $22,434,057 $191.00

Theft fromMotor Vehicles 149,529 $177,427,305 $1,187.00

Motor Vehicle Parts 42,765 $44,487,375 $1,040.00

Bicycles 11,394 $4,571,661 $401.00

Theft from Buildings 32,492 $42,954,692 $1,321.00

Theft from Coin-Operated Machines 2,059 $876,719 $425.00

All Other 209,445 $394,225,475 $1,882.00

TOTAL 570,386 $690,171,153 $1,210.00

DEFINITIONMotor Vehicle Theft, for UCR purposes, is the theftor attempted theft of a motor vehicle. A motor vehi-cle is defined as a self-propelled vehicle thattravels on the surface but not on rails. Specificallyexcluded from this category are motor boats, con-struction equipment, airplanes, and farmingequipment.

ANALYSISVolumeThe number of motor vehicle thefts committed inTexas in 2014 was 67,741. The volume of motorvehicle theft increased 3.2 percent when comparedwith 2013. More motor vehicle thefts were commit-ted in July than in any other month, while thefewest motor vehicle thefts were committed duringFebruary.

RateThe 2014 motor vehicle theft rate for Texas was251.6 motor vehicle thefts for every 100,000 per-sons. The change in the motor vehicle theft ratefrom 2013 was an increase of 1.3 percent.

2014 CRIME IN TEXAS INDEX CRIME ANALYSIS

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MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT

NatureIn 2014, motor vehicle theft victims suffered lossestotaling $719,569,875. This total value loss repre-sents an increase of 12 percent when compared to2013 total motor vehicle theft losses. The averagedollar loss per motor vehicle theft was $10,622, upfrom $9,794 in 2013. Of the types of motor vehiclesthat are reported to be stolen, 57 percent are auto-mobiles, 34 percent are trucks and buses, and theremainder are classed as ‘other vehicles.’ The‘other vehicles’ classification includes all othermotor vehicles, such as snowmobiles, motorcycles,motor scooters, trail bikes, mopeds, golf carts andthe like.

Motor Vehicle Theft Offenses2004-2014

Motor Vehicle Theft by Month - 2014Motor Vehicle Value at Time of Theft

2004-2014

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Clearance RateStatewide, Texas law enforcement agencies weresuccessful in clearing or solving by arrest 12 per-cent of all motor vehicle thefts that were reported.Persons under 18 years of age accounted for 11percent of the motor vehicle thefts that werecleared.Of the three vehicle types for which information iscollected, automobiles show the highest rate ofclearance at 14.1 percent. Thefts of trucks andbuses were cleared at a 8.1 percent rate, and the‘other vehicle’ classification shows a 10.4 percentclearance rate.

RecoveriesIn 2014, 94 percent of the motor vehicles reportedstolen were recovered. Out of the recovered vehi-cles, 80 percent were stolen locally and recoveredlocally. The remaining 20 percent were stolenlocally and recovered by another jurisdiction.

Persons ArrestedIn 2014, Texas law enforcement agencies arrested4,684 persons for motor vehicle theft. When com-pared with 2013, the number of motor vehicle theftarrests increased 7 percent. Of the motor vehicletheft arrestees in 2014, 14 percent were juveniles(16 and under); 81 percent were male; 76 percentwere White and 23 percent were Black; 67 percentwere not Hispanic and 33 percent were Hispanic.The age group with the largest number of motorvehicle theft arrests was the 15-to-19 year-oldgroup.

Motor Vehicle Theft by Type Stolen MVT Arrestees by Age and Sex

MVT as Percentage of Property Crimeby Volume

MVT as Percentage of Property Crimeby Value

DEFINITIONFor Uniform Crime Reporting purposes, arson isdefined as any willful or malicious burning orattempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, ahouse, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft,personal property of another, etc.Only fires determined through investigation to havebeen willfully or maliciously set are classified asarsons. Fires of suspicious or unknown origins areexcluded from data collection.

ANALYSISVolumeThe reported number of arsons committed in Texasin 2014 was 3,811. The volume of arson offensesdecreased 8.4 percent in comparison with 2013.Because the U.S. Congress did not mandate arsonto be an Index Crime until 1979, information onoffenses before that year is incomplete.

RateThe 2014 arson rate for Texas was 14.2 arsons forevery 100,000 persons. The change in the arsonrate from 2013 was a decrease of 8.4 percent.

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ARSON

NatureStructures comprised some 52 percent of thereported incidents and 82 percent of the propertyvalue lost to arson. Mobile property constituted 32percent of the reported arsons, but only 16 percentof the value lost. The ‘other’ category (crops, tim-ber, fences, signs, etc.) formed the remaining 16percent of the arsons and 2 percent of the valuelost.Residential property was involved in 71 percent ofthe structural arsons in 2014, with 53 percent ofsuch arsons directed at single occupancydwellings. Of all targeted structural property,

Arson Offenses2004-2014

Arson Arrests2004-2014 Value Lost to Arson 2004-2014

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10 percent of the properties were uninhabited atthe time the arson occurred. Motor vehicles com-posed 95 percent of all mobile property at whicharsons were directed.In 2014, arson victims suffered losses totaling$78,819,752. This total value loss represents an5.1 percent increase when compared with 2013total arson losses. The average dollar loss perarson was $20,682, up from $18,030 in 2013.Structure/other commercial was the classificationwith the highest average loss per offense, $68,162.Community/public structures showed an averageloss of $12,665, motor vehicle arsons averaged aloss of $9,771 and the “other” group (crops, timber,fences, signs, etc.) had the lowest average loss of$1,448.

Clearance RateStatewide, Texas law enforcement agencies weresuccessful in clearing or solving by arrest 18 per-cent of all arsons that were reported. Of the variousproperty classifications, Community/Public had thehighest clearance rates (46 percent). Mobile- Othershowed 12.3 percent clearance rate, and the low-est clearance rate, at 7.7 percent, was IndustrialManufacturing.Of all arson clearances, 33 percent involved per-sons under the age of eighteen. Persons in thisage group accounted for 84 percent of the Commu-nity/Public structure arson clearances, 24 percentof all other structure category clearances and 50percent of the “other” arson clearances.

Persons ArrestedTexas law enforcement agencies arrested 564persons for the crime of arson in 2014. Whencompared with the previous year, the number ofpersons arrested for arson increased 9.3 percent.Of the persons arrested for arson in 2014, 27 per-cent were juveniles (16 and under); 83 percentwere male; 82 percent were White; 17 percentwere Black; the remaining 1% were Asian andNative Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Fifty seven per-cent were not Hispanic and 43 percent wereHispanic. The age group that contained the highestnumber of arson arrestees was the 15-to-19 yearold group.

Arson TypeOffenses Compared to Value Lost

Structural ArsonOffenses Compared to Value LostArson Arrestees by Age and Sex