Crime Statistics

Crime statistics in Howard County are tracked in strict accordance with the national standards administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.

The UCR Program is a nationwide cooperative statistical effort of over 17,000 cities, county and state law enforcement agencies voluntarily reporting data on crimes brought to their attention. The program’s main objective is to generate a reliable set of criminal statistics for use in law enforcement and has become one of the country’s leading social indicators.

This countywide data allows citizens to easily compare crime rates where they live to those of surrounding counties and cities.

As a service to our citizens, the Howard County Police Department has broken down the statistics into smaller areas throughout the county. By clicking on the link in the right column called “Interactive Crime Data,” you can research crime information in your own community.

UCR crimes are divided into three parts. PART I offenses include murder, forcible sexual offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny (theft) and motor vehicle theft. PART II offenses encompass nineteen additional types of crime ranging from simple assault, to fraud and forgery, to disorderly conduct. PART III offenses are all other crime classifications outside those defined as PART I and PART II offenses.

Additional information on crime reporting and nationwide statistics can be obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigations through the publication “Crime in the United States,” which is available at libraries.