News Releases

Mobile Police Report Change in Uniform Crime Reporting of Rape, Aggravated Assaults

Jan 16th, 2014

On January 13, 2014, Mobile Police were notified by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) of changes made to the Alabama Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program in reference to the definition of rape.

The expanded definition, utilized by the FBI's National UCR Program, now includes both male and female victims and all forcible sexual assaults. Attempted rapes and sodomies will also count toward the new rape definition, however, statutory rapes will not. The previous definition did not include the crime of sodomy or male victims of rape, both of which previously counted in the aggravated assaults category.

Alabama UCR Program will apply the new expanded definition to reports from January 1, 2013 to present. Due to this change, an increase in overall rape statistics will occur as well as a corresponding decrease in aggravated assaults. For 2013, there were 36 reported rapes before the definition change. This number has been changed to 75 reported rapes after applying the new rape definition.

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Ashley H. Rains
Public Information Office
(251) 208-1918