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Police Protection & Crime

1. State and Local Government Expenditures, Per Capita, for Police Protection

Definition: This indicator represents the amount of direct, general state and local expenditures for police protection. This indicator shows, on average, how much money is spent in the state on police protection services per citizen.

Significance: An analysis of a state’s police protection performance should include the dollars spent on these services. There is no one indicator that captures a state’s policing philosophy or its performance. The amount of money is one indication of the resources a state and its localities have committed to these services.

Historical/Trend Analysis, State and Local Government Expenditures, per Capita, for Police Protection[i]

Data reflect South Carolina (SC) average, United States (US) average, and Southeast (SE) average. The southeast region consists of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Source: United States Census Bureau, State and Local Finances

Note: In 2005, South Carolina’s state and local government spending for police protection was 30% less than the US spending and 11% less than the Southeast spending. Over the five-year period from 1999 to 2005, South Carolina’s state and local government spending for police protection increased by 18%.

Selected State Rankings, Per Capita State and Local Expenditures for Police Protection, 2005 (1” represents the state with highest per capita expenditures)

SC	NC	GA	TN	NY	WV
42	32	36	31	1	50
$175.59	$193.63	$189.11	$197.26	$381.70	$123.51

Law enforcement experts note that there are many factors that effect crime rates. Not only do these factors vary from state to state, but from one community to another. As noted in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime in the United States, the following key factors contribute to a community’s crime rate:

Ø How strictly an agency interprets and enforces laws

Ø Citizens’ attitudes toward crime

Ø Policies of prosecutorial, judicial, correctional, and probation agencies

Ø Economic conditions (e.g., poverty level, median family income, unemployment rate)

Ø Socio-economic factors, such as education level, divorce rates, etc.

Ø Transportation system

Ø Industrial and economic base

Ø Tourist and convention activity

Ø Proximity to correctional facilities and military installations

Ø Dependence on mutual aid agreements

The crime statistics and other data presented are common law enforcement indicators that are collected nationally[ii]. Population is the only variable on which the indicators are analyzed. There is no one single indicator that can be used to gauge the effectiveness of a state’s law enforcement efforts. Instead, the data along with an in-depth analysis of other economic and social indicators is required to develop a more thorough understanding of the crime rate and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in combating crime.

2. Violent crime rate[iii]

Definition: This indicator represents the total number of reported violent crimes per 100,000 population. These data represent the crime known to and reported to law enforcement agencies. There are crimes committed that are not reported and, therefore are not included in these data.

Significance: Crime rate is the most common indicator of safety in a community.

Historical/Trend Analysis, Violent Crime Rate

Source: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Selected State Rankings, Violent Crime Rate, 2006 (“1” represents the state with the highest violent crime rate)

SC	NC	GA	TN	SC	ME
1	18	19	2	1	50
765.5	475.6	471.0	460.2	765.5	115.5

Note: From 2002 to 2006, South Carolina’s violent crime rate was consistently higher than the US and Southeast rates. In 2006, South Carolina’s violent crime rate was 62% higher than the US rate and 34% higher than the Southeast. Overall, the violent crime rate has decreased since 2002.

3. Property crime rate[iv]

Definition: This indicator represents the total number of reported property, or non-violent crimes, per 100,000 population. These data represent the crime known to and reported to law enforcement agencies. There are crimes committed that are not reported and, therefore, are not included in these data.

Significance: Crime rate is the most common indicator of safety in a community.

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Property Crime Rate

Source: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Selected State Rankings, Property Crime Rate, 2006 (“1” represents the state with the highest property crime rate)

SC	NC	GA	TN	AZ	SD
3	6	14	5	1	50
4,242.3	4,120.8	3,889.2	4,128.3	4,627.9	1,619.6

Note: In 2006, South Carolina’s property crime rate was 27% higher than the US rate and 9% higher than the Southeast rate. Since 2002, there has been a slight decrease in property crime rates.

In attempting to analyze the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies, arrests rates and clearance rates are often analyzed. However, there are many caveats to consider when studying these rates. For example, clearance rates may include crimes that were cleared by exceptional means based on the victim’s unwillingness to cooperate, death of the offender, or denial of extradition.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, arrest rates are more often used than clearance rates by law enforcement experts. The arrest rate does not indicate the number of people arrested. For example, an individual may be arrested once during the year for rape and then later that year for robbery. This would count as two arrests. It also does not indicate the number of crimes cleared or solved. One arrest can clear multiple crimes. Arrests reported may include arrests for crimes committed in previous years. An arrest does not mean the person is found guilty by a court of law. In regards to juvenile arrest rates, it is important to note that juveniles are more likely than adults to commit crimes in groups. Therefore, multiple arrests may relate to only one crime.

4. Violent crime arrest rate – Adult & Juvenile

Definition: This indicator represents the number of juvenile and adult arrests made by law enforcement agencies for violent crimes per 100,000 people. For this analysis, adults are defined as 17 and older, and juveniles are defined as ages 16 and under in both the US and SC[v].

Significance: Arrests and clearance rates are often considered as key measures of law enforcement effectiveness.

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Violent Crime Arrest Rate[vi]

Source: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Source: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

Note: From 2002 to 2006, SC experienced a 6% decline in total violent arrest rate, while the US arrest rate for violent crimes dropped 8%. In 2006, the total violent arrest rate in SC was 39% higher than the US total violent arrest rate.

Source: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Source: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

Note: Since 2002, the violent arrest rate for adults declined 7% for both South Carolina and the US. In 2006, South Carolina’s violent arrest rate for adults was 37% higher than the US.

Source: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Source: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

Note: South Carolina’s violent arrest rate for juveniles increased by 4% from 2002 to 2006 while the US rate decreased 21% over the same period. In 2006, South Carolina’s violent arrest rate for juveniles was 45% higher than the US. Both South Carolina and the US experienced significant decreases from 2005 to 2006.

5. Property crime arrest rate – Adult & Juvenile

Definition: This indicator represents the number of juvenile and adult arrests made by law enforcement agencies for property crimes per 100,000. For this analysis, adults are defined as 17 and older and juveniles are defined as ages 16 and under in both the US and SC[vii].

Significance: Arrests and clearance rates are often considered as key measures of law enforcement effectiveness.

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Property Crime Arrest Rate[viii]

Source: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Source: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

Note: From 2002 to 2006, the total property crime arrest rate declined 12% in the US, while South Carolina had relatively no change during this period. In 2006, South Carolina’s total property crime arrest rate was 14% higher than the US.

Source: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Source: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

Note: From 2002 to 2006, South Carolina’s property crime arrest rate for adults increased 4%, while the US experienced a 5% decline during this same period. In 2006, South Carolina’s property crime arrest rate for adults was 15% higher than the US rate.

Source: United States Federal Bureau of Investigation

Source: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division

Note: From 2002 to 2006, the property crime arrest rate for juveniles declined 20%, while the US experienced a 39% decrease during this same period. In 2006, South Carolina’s property crime arrest rate for juveniles was 9% higher than the US rate.

Revised 12.05.2007

[i] 2001 data were not reported in this source.

[ii] Abstract on FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/word.htm

[iii] The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines violent crimes as murder/ manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

[iv] The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines property crimes as burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft.

[v] Southeastern data are not included in this analysis since several southeastern states report incomplete arrest data to the FBI.

[vi] The US rate is an estimate calculated using the population of the jurisdictions reporting 12 months of data. For the data presented, 60%-70% of the total US population was represented. The violent crime rate for adults is calculated on the 17 and older population. The property crime rate for juveniles is calculated on the 16 and younger population. The South Carolina data have been gathered from SC Law Enforcement Division’s Crime in South Carolina, Annual Report.

[vii] Southeastern data are not included in this analysis since several southeastern states report incomplete arrest data to the FBI.

[viii] The US rate is an estimate calculated using the population of the jurisdictions reporting 12 months of data. For the data presented, 60%-70% of the total US population was represented. The violent crime arrest rate for adults is calculated on the 17 and older population. The property crime arrest rate for juveniles is calculated on the 16 and younger population. The South Carolina data have been gathered from SC Law Enforcement Division’s Crime in South Carolina, Annual Report.

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