In the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, one arrest is counted for each separate instance in which an individual is arrested, cited, or summoned for criminal acts in Part I and Part II crimes. (See Appendix II for additional information concerning Part I and Part II crimes.) One person may be arrested multiple times during the year; as a result, the arrest figures in this section should not be viewed as a total number of individuals arrested. Rather, this section provides the number of arrest occurrences that were reported by law enforcement.
In 2004, the UCR Program estimated the number of arrests in the United States for all criminal offenses (except traffic violations) at approximately 14 million. Law enforcement made an estimated 1.6 million arrests (11.8 percent of all arrests) for property crimes and 586,558 arrests (4.2 percent of all arrests) for violent crimes. Law officers made more arrests for drug abuse violations (an estimated 1.7 million arrests and 12.5 percent of all arrests) than for any other offense. (See Table 29.)
In 2004, the estimated rate of arrests in the Nation was 4,752.4 arrests per 100,000 residents. Arrests for violent crimes were measured at a rate of 200.4 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants—for property crimes, 565.8 arrests per 100,000 persons. (See Table 30.)
A comparison of arrest figures from 2003 to 2004 data revealed a 1.1-percent increase. Arrests for violent crimes fell 1.5 percent, and the number for property crimes rose slightly (0.6 percent) in the 2-year period. An examination of the 5- and 10-year arrest trends showed that the total number of arrests in 2004 declined 0.6 percent from the 2000 total and 5.1 percent from the 1995 level. Arrests for violent crimes showed a 3.5-percent decrease from 2000 to 2004. In the 10-year trend (1995 to 2004), the number of arrests showed a steeper decline (16.9 percent). For property crimes, the number of arrests remained virtually unchanged in the 5-year trend, but the number dropped 22.6 percent in the 10-year trend. (See Tables 32, 34, and 36.)
Law enforcement agencies that contributed arrest data to the UCR Program reported information on the age, sex, and race of the persons they arrested. According to the 2004 data, adults accounted for 84.2 percent of arrestees nationally. (See Table 38.)
A review of arrest data by age from 2003 to 2004 showed that arrests of adults increased 1.6 percent. Arrests of adults for property crimes increased 2.1 percent, but arrests of adults for violent crimes dropped 1.6 percent over the same time span. In contrast to the 2-year arrest trend of adults, the arrest total for juveniles in 2004 decreased 1.7 percent from the 2003 figure. Over the same 2-year period, arrests of juveniles for violent crimes declined 1.0 percent and for property crimes dropped 2.9 percent. (See Table 36.)
By gender, 76.2 percent of arrests in 2004 were of males. Males accounted for 82.1 percent of the total number of arrestees for violent crimes and 68.1 percent of the total for property crimes. (See Table 42.)
A review of the 2004 arrest data by race indicated that 70.8 percent of arrestees were white, 26.8 percent were black, and 2.4 percent were of other races (American Indian or Alaskan Native and Asian or Pacific Islander). Of all arrestees for violent crimes, 60.9 percent were white, 36.9 percent were black, and the remainder were of other races. Of all arrestees for property crimes, 69.3 percent were white, 28.2 percent were black and the remaining 2.5 percent were of other races. Whites were most commonly arrested for driving under the influence (893,212 arrests) and drug abuse violations (821,047 arrests). Blacks were most frequently arrested for drug abuse violations (406,890 arrests) and simple assaults (288,286 arrests). (See Table 43.)
The UCR Program divides the United States into four regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, and the West. (Appendix III provides a map delineating the regions.) The following paragraphs furnish a regional overview of persons arrested.
Law enforcement agencies in the Northeast had an overall arrest rate of 3,738.5 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants, well below the national rate (4,752.4 arrest per 100,000 persons). In this region, the arrest rate for violent crimes was 167.6 arrests per 100,000 persons and for property crime, 437.6 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 30.)
In the Midwest, law enforcement agencies had a rate of 4,692.0 arrests per 100,000 residents. The arrest rate for violent crimes was 159.1 arrests per 100,000 persons. For property crimes, the rate was 538.7 arrests per 100,000 in population. (See Table 30.)
In the Nation’s most populous region, the South, law enforcement agencies recorded arrests at a rate of 5,407.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. Arrests for violent crime occurred at a rate of 188.1 arrests per 100,000 residents and for property crime, 625.1 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. (See Table 30.)
Law enforcement agencies in the Western states had an overall arrest rate
of 4,764.7 arrests per 100,000 residents. Arrests for violent crimes in
this region occurred at a rate of 266.1 arrests per 100,000 in population,
and for property crimes at a rate of 607.4 arrests per 100,000 persons.
(See Table 30.)
Table 4.1: Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations by Region, 2004
The national UCR Program aggregates data by various population groups, which include cities, metropolitan counties, and nonmetropolitan counties. A definition of these groups can be found in Appendix III. In 2004, law enforcement agencies in cities as a whole recorded an arrest rate of 5,220.7 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. The Nation’s smallest cities, those with less than 10,000 inhabitants, had the highest arrest rate among the city population groups with 6,189.2 arrests per 100,000 residents. Law enforcement agencies in cities with populations from 25,000 to 49,999 recorded the lowest rate, 4,556.1 arrests per 100,000 persons. In the Nation’s metropolitan counties, law officers made arrests at a rate of 3,685.6 arrests per 100,000 inhabitants. Officers in nonmetropolitan counties made arrests at a rate of 3,879.7. (See Table 31.)
The total number of arrests in U.S. cities increased 1.5 percent from 2003
to 2004. The number of arrests for property crimes rose less than 1 percent
(+0.8 percent) in cities during the 2-year time frame; however, arrests
for violent crimes in cities dropped 1.8 percent. (See Table 44.)
In 2004, law enforcement in the Nation’s cities reported that 82.7 percent of arrests in their jurisdictions were of adults, and 17.3 percent of arrests were of juveniles. Adults accounted for 83.6 percent of arrestees for violent crimes and juveniles, 16.4 percent. Adults made up 71.7 percent of the arrestees for property crimes, and juveniles accounted for 28.3 percent. Of all arrests in the Nation’s cities in 2004, 46.8 percent were of individuals under age 25. (See Tables 46 and 47.) In metropolitan counties, 87.4 percent of arrests were of adults, and 12.6 percent of arrests were of juveniles. In nonmetropolitan counties, 91.5 percent of persons arrested were adults, and 9.5 percent were juveniles. (Based on Tables 53 and 59.)
A breakdown of arrests by gender showed that males accounted for 75.8 percent of arrestees in the Nation’s cities. (See Table 48.) In metropolitan counties, males comprised 77.5 percent of all arrestees; in nonmetropolitan counties, males made up 77.7 percent of arrestees. (See Tables 54 and 60.)
By race, 68.5 percent of arrestees in the Nation’s cities were white,
29.1 percent were black, and the remainder were of other races. (See Table
49.) Whites accounted for 75.9 percent of arrestees in metropolitan counties
in 2004, blacks comprised 22.7 percent, and persons of other races made
up 1.4 percent of the total. (See Table 55.) In nonmetropolitan counties,
whites made up 83.4 percent of arrestees, blacks, 12.4, and other races,
4.2 percent. (See Table 61.)
Information regarding the UCR Program’s statistical methodology and table construction can be found in Appendix I.
Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations
by Region, 2004
| Drug abuse violations | United States total | Northeast | Midwest | South | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total1 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Sale/Manufacturing: | 18.2 | 24.3 | 18.6 | 17.9 | 15.3 |
| Heroin or cocaine and their derivatives | 8.3 | 16.0 | 5.2 | 8.5 | 5.7 |
| Marijuana | 5.0 | 6.2 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 4.0 |
| Synthetic or manufactured drugs | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 0.7 |
| Other dangerous nonnarcotic drugs | 3.3 | 1.1 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 4.9 |
| Possession: | 81.8 | 75.7 | 81.4 | 82.1 | 84.7 |
| Heroin or cocaine and their derivatives | 22.0 | 25.2 | 13.7 | 23.1 | 23.0 |
| Marijuana | 39.3 | 42.3 | 50.6 | 46.9 | 25.4 |
| Synthetic or manufactured drugs | 3.5 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 3.3 |
| Other dangerous nonnarcotic drugs | 17.0 | 6.4 | 13.5 | 7.4 | 33.0 |
1 Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0