Legal Definitions - index crime

Index crime refers to a type of crime that is considered serious and is used to measure the overall crime rate in a particular area. It includes crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.

For example, if a city reports a high number of index crimes, it may indicate that the city has a higher crime rate compared to other cities. This information can be used by law enforcement agencies to allocate resources and develop strategies to reduce crime.

Index crime is different from other types of crimes, such as minor traffic violations or drug offenses, which are not included in the index crime rate.