The Response of Law Enforcement to Violence and Abuse - National Crime Victimization Surveys

The National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS) are ongoing, nationwide surveys that gather data on criminal victimizations from a national sample of eighty thousand household respondents, ages twelve and older. The surveys provide a biannual estimate of crimes experienced by the public, whether or not a law enforcement agency was contacted about the crime.

It is well established that much intimate partner violence is unreported or underreported. Using seven years of data from the NCVS, statistician Callie Rennison

TABLE 7.2

Percent distribution of victimizations, by type of crime and whether or not reported to the police, 2002
		Percent of victimizations reported to the police
Sector and type of crime	Number of victimizations	Total	Yes2	No	Not known and not available
Note: Detail may not add to total shown because of rounding.
1Estimate is based on about 10 or fewer sample cases.
2Figures in this column represent the rates at which victimizations were reported to the police, or "police reporting rates."
3Includes verbal threats of rape.
4Includes threats.
SOURCE: "Table 91. Personal and Property Crimes, 2002: Percent Distribution of Victimizations, by Type of Crime and Whether or Not Reported to the Police," in Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2002 Statistical Tables, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2002, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cvusst.htm (accessed October 12,2004)
All crimes	23,036,030	100%	42.2%	56.5%	1.3%
Personal crimes	5,496,810	100%	48.4%	49.8%	1.7%
Crimes of violence	5,341,410	100	48.5	49.7	1.8
Completed violence	1,753,090	100	60.4	39.0	0.61
Attempted/threatened violence	3,588,320	100	42.7	55.0	2.3
Rape/sexual assault	247,730	100	53.7	46.3	0.01
Rape/attempted rape	167,860	100	56.6	43.4	0.01
Rape	90,390	100	57.3	42.7	0.01
Attempted rape3	77,470	100	55.8	44.2	0.01
Sexual assault4	79,870	100	47.8	52.2	0.01
Robbery	512,490	100	71.2	28.3	0.51
Completed/property taken	385,880	100	75.8	23.6	0.71
With injury	169,980	100	79.8	20.2	0.01
Without injury	215,890	100	72.6	26.2	1.21
Attempted to take property	126,610	100	57.4	42.6	0.01
With injury	42,600	100	92.6	7.41	0.01
Without injury	84,020	100	39.5	60.5	0.01
Assault	4,581,190	100	45.7	52.3	2.0
Aggravated	990,110	100	56.6	40.5	2.81
With injury	316,260	100	61.3	38.7	0.01
Threatened with weapon	673,850	100	54.5	41.4	4.21
Simple	3,591,090	100	42.7	55.6	1.8
With minor injury	906,580	100	54.8	44.2	1.01
Without injury	2,684,510	100	38.6	59.4	2.1
Purse snatching/pocket picking	155,400	100	46.4	53.6	0.01
Completed purse snatching	55,400	100	74.5	25.51	0.01
Attempted purse snatching	2,1401	1001	100.01	0.01	0.01
Pocket picking	97,860	100	29.31	70.7	0.01
Property crimes	17,539,220	100%	40.2%	58.6%	1.2%
Household burglary	3,055,720	100	57.9	41.4	0.71
Completed	2,597,310	100	58.8	40.4	0.81
Forcible entry	1,017,660	100	77.2	21.7	1.11
Unlawful entry without force	1,579,650	100	46.9	52.5	0.61
Attempted forcible entry	458,410	100	52.9	47.1	0.01
Motor vehicle theft	988,760	100	86.1	13.5	0.51
Completed	780,630	100	95.8	3.91	0.31
Attempted	208,120	100	49.4	49.5	1.11
Theft	13,494,750	100	32.8	65.8	1.4
Completed	13,039,920	100	32.7	65.9	1.4
Less than $50	4,186,570	100	17.1	81.8	1.1
$50–$249	4,455,080	100	28.3	70.6	1.1
$250 or more	3,270,530	100	56.4	42.8	0.81
Amount not available	1,127,740	100	39.5	55.0	5.5
Attempted	454,830	100	36.5	62.5	1.01

examined trends, including police notification, in Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993–99 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). She found that nearly three-quarters of intimate partner violence against females aged twelve to fifteen is not reported to police, and more than half of females aged sixteen to nineteen and over fifty do not make police reports.

According to the 2002 NCVS, about half of the victims of rape or sexual assault (53.7%) report the crime to the police. (See Table 7.2.) Women are more likely to report violent victimizations involving strangers (65.7%) than nonstrangers (51.2%). (See Table 7.3.) The survey also found that black females are more likely (61.7%) than white females (50.7%) to report violent victimizations to the authorities. (See Table 7.4.)

The reasons people give for their decision to report victimizations to the police are shown in Table 7.5. For all personal crimes, the highest proportion of victims (19.1%) said they reported the incident to prevent further crimes by the offender against them. Of other victims,

TABLE 7.3

Percent of victimizations reported to the police, by type of crime, victim-offender relationship and gender of victims, 2002
	Percent of all victimizations reported to the police
	All victimizations			Involving strangers			Involving nonstrangers
Type of crime	Both genders	Male	Female	Both genders	Male	Female	Both genders	Male	Female
Note: Detail may not add to total shown because of rounding.
1Estimate is based on about 10 or fewer sample cases.
2Includes verbal threats of rape and threats of sexual assault.
SOURCE: "Table 93. Violent Crimes, 2002: Percent of Victimizations Reported to the Police, by Type of Crime, Victim-Offender Relationship and Gender of Victims," in Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2002 Statistical Tables, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2002, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cvusst.htm (accessed October 12, 2004)
Crimes of violence	48.5%	44.6%	53.0%	51.5%	47.9%	58.6%	45.5%	39.5%	49.7%
Completed violence	60.4	59.0	61.6	67.5	62.6	76.5	54.5	52.9	55.2
Attempted/threatened violence	42.7	38.9	47.8	44.8	41.7	50.7	40.4	34.5	45.7
Rape/sexual assault2	53.7	39.71	55.8	57.9	22.81	65.7	51.6	55.31	51.2
Robbery	71.2	66.5	79.3	69.7	64.0	83.9	75.3	78.4	73.1
Completed/property taken	75.8	73.5	79.4	75.9	71.9	84.4	75.5	80.5	71.8
With injury	79.8	76.2	85.3	74.3	69.5	84.71	88.7	91.91	85.91
Without injury	72.6	71.4	74.6	76.8	73.4	84.3	52.51	51.01	53.11
Attempted to take property	57.4	47.4	78.7	50.1	42.4	81.31	75.01	72.21	76.71
With injury	92.6	90.01	100.01	87.91	86.81	100.01	100.01	100.01	100.01
Without injury	39.5	22.81	70.61	34.71	20.51	78.61	54.51	40.01	61.51
Assault	45.7	41.9	50.3	48.2	45.2	54.2	43.3	37.1	48.1
Aggravated	56.6	52.4	62.8	59.7	55.9	67.4	52.3	45.6	58.6
With injury	61.3	63.5	58.8	72.8	71.9	74.2	51.9	53.4	50.7
Threatened with weapon	54.5	48.1	65.2	55.5	51.1	64.9	52.6	40.7	65.5
Simple	42.7	38.6	47.3	44.1	41.3	49.6	41.5	35.1	46.2
With minor injury	54.8	49.6	59.0	58.4	52.4	72.6	52.9	46.3	55.8
Without injury	38.6	35.6	42.3	40.6	38.4	44.8	36.6	32.0	40.7

17.9% wanted to stop or prevent this crime, 14.6% said they reported to police because it was a crime, and 10.5% said they wanted to prevent the offender from assaulting anyone else. Other, less cited reasons included to punish the offender (7.2%), to catch the offender (6.9%), and a feeling of duty to notify the police (5.8%).

Other victims chose not to report personal crimes to the police. The reason offered most frequently for not reporting all types of personal crimes to the police was that the offense was a private or personal matter (21.2%). (See Table 7.6.) This reason was given more often by victims who chose not to report offenses committed by nonstrangers. (See Table 7.7.)