NCJ Number
235629
Date Published
July 2010
Length
104 pages
Annotation
Data on crime in Montana for 2008-2009 were obtained from the Montana Incident-Based Reporting System (MTIBRS), a modified version of the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
Abstract
Under the MTIBRS, Group A offenses include arson, assault, bribery, burglary, counterfeiting/forgery, criminal mischief/vandalism, drug offenses, embezzlement, extortion/blackmail, fraud, gambling, homicide, kidnapping, larceny/theft, motor vehicle theft, obscenity/pornography, robbery, forcible sex offenses, non-forcible sex offenses, stolen property offenses, and weapon law violations. Group B offenses include bad checks, curfew/loitering/vagrancy, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, nonviolent family offenses, liquor law violations, drunkenness, peeping tom, runaway, trespassing, and all other offenses. Both Group A and Group B offenses can be further subcategorized according to Montana Code Annotated law codes. In 2009, Montana's non-tribal jurisdictions declined 4.5 percent compared to 2008, primarily due to an increase in the "reporting population." The violent crime rate has decreased 4 percent out of the last 5 years. The 2009 rate was down just over 27 percent from its 2003 peak. Aggravated assault accounted for just over 75 percent of all violent crimes committed in the State from 2005 through 2009. Homicide accounted for 1 percent of all reported violent crimes. This has remained consistent over the last 5 years. Robbery has increased from 7 percent of the total in 2006 to just over 10 percent of the total in 2009. The percentage of forcible rapes has remained consistent. Property crime - which consists of burglary, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft - was down close to 8.3 percent compared to 2008. The number of property offenses was 26,764 in 2008 and 25,094 in 2009, a 6.2-percent decline. From 2005 through 2009, larceny/theft accounted for 81-82 percent of all property crimes. Motor vehicle theft has remained steady as a percentage of all index property crimes. Extensive tables and figures and appended listing of reporting agencies, 2009 Index crimes by agency, and 2009 Index crimes by county