Crime Definitions


2017 Crime and Arrest Statistics
Crime Definitions
CLASSIFICATION	DEFINITION AND/OR EXAMPLES
Part I Crimes
Criminal Homicide*	The willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another. Excludes attempts, fetal deaths, and traffic fatalities.
Rape*	Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim
Robbery*	The taking of 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*	An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.
Burglary*	The unlawful entry or attempted entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. Includes apartment, barn, house trailer or houseboat when used as a permanent dwelling, office, railroad car (but not automobile), stable, and vessel (i.e., ship).
Larceny Theft*	The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another. Excludes automobile theft, embezzlement, fraud, counterfeiting, check fraud, etc.
Grand Theft Auto*	The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.
Arson*	Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.
Part II Crimes
Forgery	The act of falsely making, altering, or imitating (as a document or signature) with intent to defraud.
Fraud and NSF Check	Non-Sufficient Fund (NSF) checks, fraud, and defrauding.
Sex Offense, Felony	Sex crimes against children under 14 years of age, unlawful sexual intercourse, incest, pandering, pimping, and failing to register as a sex offender.
Sex Offense, Misdemeanor	Indecent exposure, house of ill fame, lewd conduct, annoy/molest children, prostitution, obscene matter, and failing to register as a sex offender.
Non-Aggravated Assault	All assaults which involve the use of a personal weapon (such as hands, fists, or feet) and in which there were no serious or aggravated injuries to the victim.
Weapon	Possession, concealment, unlawful shooting in city limits, etc.
Offense Against Family	Child abandonment, child neglect, failure to provide, elder abuse, domestic violence with no weapon used and no physical injury.
Narcotic	Possession, sales, under the influence of, and found narcotics.
Liquor/Tobacco	Sell liquor to minor, possess/use/furnish false evidence of age, minor in possession of alcohol, employ minor on premises where alcohol is served, drinking in vehicle, possess open container, and furnishing tobacco to minors.
Drunk - Alcohol/Drug	Having the faculties impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Disorderly Conduct	Interfering with school activities, disturbing the peace, court disturbances, unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, riot or incitement, peeping, prowling, telephone annoyance, and loud party, etc.
Vagrancy/Quality of Life	Loitering, curfew, and illegal vending.
Gambling	Gambling, touting, bookmaking, lotteries, and numbers games.
Drunk Driving - Vehicle/Boat	Operating a vehicle or boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Vehicle/Boating	Hit and run accidents, various misdemeanor and felony laws related to the safe operation of a vehicle or boat, and juveniles with .01% blood alcohol content.
Vandalism	Damaging, destroying, or defacing any real property that is not one's own, including tagging, graffiti, etc.
Warrants	A judicial writ authorizing an officer to make an arrest.
Receiving Stolen Property	Buying or receiving any property that has been stolen or that has been obtained in any manner constituting theft or extortion, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained, or who conceals, sells, withholds, or aids in concealing, selling, or withholding any property from the owner, knowing the property to be so stolen or obtained.
Federal Offenses Without Money	Immigration laws, counterfeiting Federal documents, desertion, smuggling, tampering with mail, Selective Service Act, Mann Act, etc.
Federal Offense With Money	Defraud Federal government, mail fraud, conversion of military property, mail theft, counterfeiting U.S. currency, etc.
Felony, Miscellaneous	Any crime not listed in a previous category punishable by 1 year or more in state prison, including bigamy, conspiracy, escape, extortion, perjury, kidnaping, child stealing, false report of bomb or emergency with injury/death, false imprisonment, embezzlement, solicit to commit murder/rape/certain felonies, lynching, unlawful use/possession of explosives, bribery, and negligent driving manslaughter.
Misdemeanor, Miscellaneous	Any crime not listed in a previous category that is punishable by a up to 1 year in the county jail, including cruelty to animals, trespassing, public nuisance, fish and game violations, non-negligent driving manslaughter, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, parole/probation violations, and alarm violations.
Person Missing or Found	Any person reported missing to and/or found by a law enforcement agency.
Juvenile, Noncriminal	Juvenile welfare laws related to lack of supervision, unfit home, incorrigible, truancy, etc., and juvenile citations.
Commitment	Drunk, involuntary narcotic, and voluntary narcotic commitments to the County Jail.
Miscellaneous Noncriminal	Various noncriminal incidents which the Department maintains records on, including explosions, possible narcotics activity, special investigations, lost/found/recovered property, erroneous jail released, suspicious circumstances, fires, liquor and business license investigations, abandoned automobile/boat, labor dispute/strike, noncriminal domestic violence, repossessions, employee injuries, damage to county property, etc.
Suicide and Attempt	The act of intentionally or attempting to intentionally kill oneself.
Mentally Ill	When any person, as a result of mental disorder, is a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled, a peace officer may, upon probable cause, take, or cause to be taken, the person into custody and place him or her in a facility designated by the county and approved by the State Department of Mental Health as a facility for 72-hour treatment and evaluation.
Accident, Traffic - Vehicle/Boat	On highway traffic/boat accidents.
Accident, Miscellaneous	Off highway traffic/boat accidents, household accidents, accidental shootings, etc.
Person Dead	Noncriminal death due to natural causes, industrial accident, home accident, recreational accident, overdose, etc.

*These categories are Part I Crimes, as defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. UCR crime definitions generally match California Penal Code definitions, however, there are minor variances. For additional information on UCR, please go to the following web site: www.fbi.gov