Crime in Grand Rapids 

2009 
Grand Rapids Police Department 

Leadership 
Kevin R. Belk, Chief 
James L. Farris, Deputy Chief 

Crime Reporting and the  
Uniform Crime Report  
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) 
Program was conceived in 1929 by 
the International Association of 
Chiefs of Police to meet a need for 
reliable, uniform crime statistics for 
the nation.  

In 1930, the FBI was tasked with  Crime Reporting Federal, State and Local 
collecting, publishing, and archiving 
those statistics. Today, several an‐ The rules followed in the reporting of this information is dictated by the Federal Bureau of
nual statistical publications, such as  Investigations (FBI).
the comprehensive Crime in the 
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program divides offenses into two groups, Part I
United States, are produced from 
data provided by nearly 17,000 law  and Part II crimes. Each month, participating law enforcement agencies submit informa-
enforcement agencies across the  tion on the number of Part I offenses known to them; those offenses cleared by arrest or
United States.  exceptional means; and the age, sex, and race of persons arrested for each of the of-
fenses. Contributors provide only arrest data for Part II offenses.
Other annual publications, such as 
Hate Crime Statistics and Law En‐ The UCR Program collects data about Part I offenses in order to measure the level and
forcement Officers Killed and As‐ scope of crime occurring throughout the Nation. The Program's founders chose these
saulted address specialized facets of  offenses because they are serious crimes, they occur with regularity in all areas of the
crime such as hate crime or the mur‐ country, and they are likely to be reported to police.
der and assaults of law enforcement 
The Grand Rapids Police Department reports crime information to the State of Michigan
officers respectively. 
on a monthly basis. The State then passes that data on to the FBI for inclusion into the
annual Crime in the United States report. 

1 
UCR Offense Definitions  
Offenses are broken into Part I and Part II offenses 

Homicide — the willful (non‐negligent) killing of one human being by another.  

Forcible rape—The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.  

Robbery—The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or 
threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. 

Aggravated assault—An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury.  

Burglary —The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. Attempted forcible entry is included. 

Larceny—The unlawful taking, carrying,  leading,  or  riding  away  of property  from the possession  or constructive  possession  of  an‐
other.  

Motor vehicle theft—The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.  

Arson—Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, mo‐
tor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc. 

Part II Offenses 

Other assaults (simple)—Assaults and attempted assaults where no weapon was used or no serious or aggravated injury resulted to 
the victim.  

Forgery and counterfeiting—The altering, copying, or imitating of something, without authority or right.  

Fraud—The intentional perversion of the truth for the purpose of inducing another person or other entity in reliance upon it to part 
with something of value or to surrender a legal right.  

Embezzlement—The unlawful misappropriation or misapplication by an offender to his/her own use or purpose of money, property, 
or some other thing of value entrusted to his/her care, custody, or control. 

Stolen property: buying, receiving, possessing—Buying, receiving, possessing, selling, concealing, or transporting any property with 
the knowledge that it has been unlawfully taken, as by burglary, embezzlement, fraud, larceny, robbery, etc.  

Vandalism—To willfully or maliciously destroy, injure, disfigure, or deface any public or private property. 

Weapons: carrying, possessing, etc.—The violation of laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transporta‐
tion, possession, concealment, or use of firearms. 

Prostitution and commercialized vice—The unlawful promotion of or participation in sexual activities for profit. 

Sex offenses (except forcible rape, prostitution, and commercialized vice)—Offenses against chastity, common decency, morals, 
and the like. Incest, indecent exposure, and statutory rape are included. Attempts are included. 

Drug abuse violations—The violation of laws prohibiting the production, distribution, and/or use of certain controlled substances. . 

Gambling—To unlawfully bet or wager money or something else of value. 

Offenses against the family and children—Unlawful nonviolent acts by a family member (or legal guardian) that threaten the physi‐
cal, mental, or economic well‐being or morals of another family member and that are not classifiable as other offenses. 

Driving under the influence—Driving or operating a motor vehicle or common carrier while mentally or physically impaired as the 
result of consuming an alcoholic beverage or using a drug or narcotic. 

2 
City of Grand Rapids  
Crime Status 2008 compared to 2009 

Summary:  Overall, the City of Grand Rapids experienced a 6.6% decrease 
in Part One crime in 2009 in comparison to 2008.  The City experienced a 
3.2% decrease in Part Two crime in the same time period. 

Part One Offenses

   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Murder 16 9 -43.8%
Rape 97 90 -7.2%
Robbery 760 578 -23.9%
Aggravated Assault 1101 936 -15.0%
Burglary 2258 2430 7.6%
Larceny 6462 6005 -7.1%
Motor Vehicle Theft 445 374 -16.0%
Arson 100 79 -21.0%
Negligent Manslaughter 1 1 0.0%
11240 10502 -6.6%
   
Part Two Offenses
   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Non Aggravated Assault 3857 3812 -1.2%
Forgery/Counterfeit 286 95 -66.8%
Fraud 613 447 -27.1%
Embezzlement 78 40 -48.7%
Stolen Property 70 72 2.9%
Vandalism* 2986 2436 -18.4%
Weapons 142 110 -22.5%
Prostitution 124 107 -13.7%
Sex Offenses 263 212 -19.4%
Narcotics Laws 1553 1770 14.0%
Gambling 5 5 0.0%
Family & Children 98 101 3.1%
DUI (Liquor or Drugs) 637 650 2.0%
Liquor Laws 324 344 6.2%
Disorderly Conduct 294 339 15.3%
11330 10540 -7.0%

3 
 2009
                       
Part One Offenses                        
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Murder 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 9
Rape 7 5 6 12 10 8 7 12 6 8 5 4 90
Robbery 39 35 41 49 35 53 61 61 55 52 65 32 578
Aggravated Assault 62 59 87 70 101 85 94 101 87 64 88 38 936
Burglary 128 151 166 187 189 214 261 279 235 231 252 137 2430
Larceny 383 337 432 488 542 564 650 624 550 583 588 264 6005
Motor Vehicle Theft 31 29 21 18 24 31 47 37 31 49 32 24 374
Arson 9 3 3 10 13 10 3 5 5 9 7 2 79
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0
Negligent Manslaughter 1
660 619 758 834 915 966 1123 1121 971 997 1037 501 10502
Part Two Offenses                        
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

4 
256 350 301 379 376 359 345 337 312 305 208
284
Non Aggravated Assault 3812
Forgery/Counterfeit 8 8 14 4 7 11 3 4 9 12 7 8 95
Fraud 26 46 37 32 40 42 48 41 43 34 32 26 447
Embezzlement 8 1 6 3 5 5 3 3 1 4 0 1 40
2009 Crime Totals By Month 

Stolen Property 2 4 3 6 8 9 3 7 6 11 9 4 72
Vandalism 178 147 255 224 241 270 252 237 173 206 171 82 2436
Weapons 3 4 8 10 9 8 15 13 10 13 15 2 110
Prostitution 17 5 13 9 5 11 9 8 11 9 4 6 107
Sex Offenses 26 20 16 17 14 23 18 19 20 15 17 7 212
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

Narcotics Laws 112 128 184 176 150 163 199 166 125 147 136 84 1770
Gambling 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 5
Family & Children 8 2 12 17 17 16 7 4 8 3 3 4 101
50 54 58 61 60 79 62 54 51 38 29
54
DUI (Liquor or Drugs) 650
Liquor Laws 16 18 30 33 42 34 34 27 33 35 27 15 344
Disorderly Conduct 31 30 43 34 30 28 34 23 34 21 16 15 339
670 639 870 805 880 912 952 911 842 844 763 487 9575
 2008
                       
Part One Offenses                        
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Murder 2 2 0 0 4 2 0 1 2 0 4 0 17
Rape 9 7 4 5 10 7 9 15 11 5 10 5 97
Robbery 71 55 35 66 73 66 64 90 60 54 60 66 760
Aggravated Assault 65 68 56 92 130 114 122 132 113 82 74 53 1101
Burglary 149 104 107 182 248 204 232 245 262 210 207 108 2258
Larceny 473 376 312 582 636 677 667 647 612 550 556 374 6462
Motor Vehicle Theft 49 31 23 33 47 44 35 33 34 36 48 32 445
Arson 9 2 3 10 10 11 10 17 12 5 7 4 100
Negligent Manslaughter 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
827 645 541 970 1158 1125 1139 1180 1106 942 966 642 11241
Part Two Offenses                        
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

5 
Non Aggravated Assault 300 274 207 323 366 372 369 405 378 334 305 224 3857
Forgery/Counterfeit 8 4 11 17 24 17 48 11 32 71 28 15 286
Fraud 39 35 33 55 58 54 55 47 75 52 56 54 613
Embezzlement 5 7 7 4 2 5 9 5 8 9 5 12 78
2009 Crime Totals By Month 

Stolen Property 3 8 4 2 5 6 5 11 9 9 6 2 70
Vandalism 129 70 92 168 172 177 180 163 129 132 97 56 1565
Weapons 11 8 11 9 12 12 19 14 14 17 10 5 142
Prostitution 9 5 2 18 4 19 22 11 13 10 5 6 124
Sex Offenses 28 26 11 23 23 31 20 31 12 20 16 22 263
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

Narcotics Laws 118 101 86 147 130 149 171 172 112 121 129 117 1553
Gambling 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 5
Family & Children 8 6 2 12 12 9 8 9 15 8 7 2 98
DUI (Liquor or Drugs) 59 48 27 47 55 42 52 53 64 71 68 51 637
Liquor Laws 22 17 13 21 40 34 37 39 35 30 19 17 324
Disorderly Conduct 27 17 18 29 27 21 28 39 20 25 24 19 294
766 626 525 875 930 949 1023 1011 917 909 776 602 9909
2009 Crime Totals By Month 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

6 
2009 Crime Totals By Month 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

7 
2009 Crime Totals By Month 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

8 
2009 Crime Totals By Month 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

9 
2009 Crime Totals By Month 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

Vandalism
300
250
200
150 2007

100 2008

50 2009

0
Aug
Apr
May

Dec
Mar

Jul
Jun

Nov
Feb

Sep
Oct
Jan

10 
 Grand Rapids Crime Statistics 1996 - 2009
                             
Part One Offenses 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Chg
Murder 21 25 24 17 17 12 8 11 12 16 23 22 16 9 -43.8%
Rape 76 37 50 50 57 52 59 68 84 81 73 79 97 90 -7.2%
Robbery 664 574 629 591 594 552 546 570 577 713 719 778 760 578 -23.9%
Agg. Assault 1688 1688 1648 1465 1446 1431 1436 1602 1398 1300 1159 1186 1101 936 -15.0%
Burglary 3058 2871 3198 2701 2612 2582 2402 2294 2252 2135 2566 2656 2258 2430 7.6%
Larceny 8069 7815 7799 6752 7359 6719 6245 6681 6584 7322 7158 7229 6462 6005 -7.1%
Motor Vehicle Theft 1071 1122 1160 988 860 677 689 638 609 718 720 605 445 374 -16.0%
Arson 97 98 103 63 112 66 100 92 109 141 126 130 100 79 -21.0%
Neg. Manslaughter 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 0.0%
14744 14230 14611 12627 13057 12092 11485 11956 11625 12427 12544 12687 11240 10502 -6.6%
                             
                               
Part Two Offenses                            

11 
Crime in Grand Rapids 1996—2009 

Non-Agg. Assaults 5099 5183 5157 4662 5312 5239 5166 5015 4624 4923 4432 4373 3857 3812 -1.2%
Forgery / Counterfeit 28 31 86 80 173 152 179 233 131 225 221 123 286 95 -66.8%
Fraud 263 422 488 451 555 624 858 742 881 781 613 655 613 447 -27.1%
Embezzlement 158 154 168 173 161 154 114 96 99 89 75 70 78 40 -48.7%
Stolen Property 111 113 144 205 104 120 140 96 109 105 87 72 70 72 2.9%
Vandalism 4868 4828 4598 3430 3617 3718 3426 3360 3221 3107 3066 3517 2986 2436 -18.4%
Weapons 269 320 268 231 173 172 180 144 105 87 95 116 142 110 -22.5%
Prostitution 283 169 198 263 315 266 259 204 215 174 144 94 124 107 -13.7%
Sex Offenses 79 67 85 151 383 429 464 421 391 362 358 297 263 212 -19.4%
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

Narcotic Laws 1805 1964 1965 1843 1790 1988 2005 1866 1527 1551 1551 1689 1553 1770 14.0%
Gambling 16 9 7 5 4 3 6 7 1 5 5 1 5 5 0.0%
Family & Children 166 191 269 281 622 328 270 174 175 127 105 120 98 101 3.1%
DUI (Liqour or
Drugs) 607 605 667 805 876 1027 982 930 802 706 699 589 637 650 2.0%
Liqour Laws 299 462 666 661 213 679 741 467 431 372 324 340 324 344 6.2%
Disorderly Conduct 4610 4650 4967 5218 651 392 143 177 182 142 218 215 294 339 15.3%
18661 19168 19733 18459 14949 15291 14933 13932 12894 12756 11993 11112 9909 9575 -3.4%
Crime in Grand Rapids 1996—2009 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

12 
Crime in Grand Rapids 1996—2009 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

13 
Crime in Grand Rapids 1996—2009 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

14 
Crime in Grand Rapids 1996—2009 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

15 
Crime in Grand Rapids 1996—2009 
Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

Vandalism
6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

16 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
By Service Area—EAST—Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

East Service Area 

Part One Offenses

   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Murder 3 1 -66.7%
Rape 25 20 -20.0%
Robbery 192 152 -20.8%
Aggravated Assault 237 207 -12.7%
Burglary 497 580 16.7%
Larceny 1553 1329 -14.4%
Motor Vehicle Theft 117 104 -11.1%
Arson 29 19 -34.5%
Negligent Manslaughter 1 0 -100.0%
2654 2412 -9.1%
   
Part Two Offenses
   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Non Aggravated Assault 839 835 -0.5%
Forgery/Counterfeit 103 30 -70.9%
Fraud 207 157 -24.2%
Embezzlement 30 13 -56.7%
Stolen Property 20 21 5.0%
Vandalism* 314 303 -3.5%
Weapons 32 38 18.8%
Prostitution 42 49 16.7%
Sex Offenses 64 52 -18.8%
Narcotics Laws 313 394 25.9%
Gambling 1 0 -100.0%
Family & Children 21 23 9.5%
DUI (Liquor or Drugs) 158 145 -8.2%
Liquor Laws 53 59 11.3%
Disorderly Conduct 66 64 -3.0%
2263 2183 -3.5%

17 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
By Service Area—EAST—Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

18 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
By Service Area—NORTH—Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

North Service Area 

Part One Offenses

   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Murder 2 1 -50.0%
Rape 20 17 -15.0%
Robbery 125 86 -31.2%
Aggravated Assault 222 165 -25.7%
Burglary 529 623 17.8%
Larceny 1648 1717 4.2%
Motor Vehicle Theft 108 81 -25.0%
Arson 14 17 21.4%
Negligent Manslaughter 0 0 0.0%
2668 2707 1.5%
   
Part Two Offenses
   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Non Aggravated Assault 912 862 -5.5%
Forgery/Counterfeit 48 18 -62.5%
Fraud 129 84 -34.9%
Embezzlement 15 17 13.3%
Stolen Property 7 14 100.0%
Vandalism* 332 369 11.1%
Weapons 19 17 -10.5%
Prostitution 3 1 -66.7%
Sex Offenses 57 49 -14.0%
Narcotics Laws 250 274 9.6%
Gambling 0 1 0.0%
Family & Children 23 25 8.7%
DUI (Liquor or Drugs) 121 147 21.5%
Liquor Laws 52 50 -3.8%
Disorderly Conduct 42 58 38.1%
2010 1986 -1.2%

19 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
By Service Area—NORTH—Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

20 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
By Service Area—SOUTH—Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

South Service Area 

Part One Offenses

   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Murder 11 4 -63.6%
Rape 22 24 9.1%
Robbery 244 161 -34.0%
Aggravated Assault 367 317 -13.6%
Burglary 696 674 -3.2%
Larceny 1322 1187 -10.2%
Motor Vehicle Theft 134 98 -26.9%
Arson 31 20 -35.5%
Negligent Manslaughter 0 1 0.0%
2827 2486 -12.1%
   
Part Two Offenses
   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Non Aggravated Assault 902 902 0.0%
Forgery/Counterfeit 79 22 -72.2%
Fraud 126 109 -13.5%
Embezzlement 15 2 -86.7%
Stolen Property 27 23 -14.8%
Vandalism* 460 344 -25.2%
Weapons 56 41 -26.8%
Prostitution 60 40 -33.3%
Sex Offenses 64 44 -31.3%
Narcotics Laws 644 640 -0.6%
Gambling 3 4 33.3%
Family & Children 31 27 -12.9%
DUI (Liquor or Drugs) 123 118 -4.1%
Liquor Laws 54 69 27.8%
Disorderly Conduct 66 78 18.2%
2710 2463 -9.1%

21 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
By Service Area—SOUTH—Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

22 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
By Service Area—WEST—Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

West Service Area 

Part One Offenses

   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Murder 1 3 200.0%
Rape 27 28 3.7%
Robbery 197 172 -12.7%
Aggravated Assault 263 247 -6.1%
Burglary 527 539 2.3%
Larceny 1899 1764 -7.1%
Motor Vehicle Theft 84 91 8.3%
Arson 25 22 -12.0%
Negligent Manslaughter 0 0 0.0%
3023 2866 -5.2%
   
Part Two Offenses
   
Jan - Dec 2008 Jan - Dec 2009 Chg
Non Aggravated Assault 1179 1200 1.8%
Forgery/Counterfeit 57 29 -49.1%
Fraud 151 138 -8.6%
Embezzlement 19 8 -57.9%
Stolen Property 15 14 -6.7%
Vandalism* 450 444 -1.3%
Weapons 34 16 -52.9%
Prostitution 15 15 0.0%
Sex Offenses 78 72 -7.7%
Narcotics Laws 312 407 30.4%
Gambling 1 0 -100.0%
Family & Children 23 26 13.0%
DUI (Liquor or Drugs) 209 218 4.3%
Liquor Laws 161 155 -3.7%
Disorderly Conduct 115 132 14.8%
2819 2874 2.0%

23 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
By Service Area—WEST—Both Part I and Part II Offenses 

Aggravated Assault
40

30

20 2007
2008
10
2009
0
Oct
Aug

Dec
Nov
May
Jan
Feb

Sep
Apr

Jul
Jun
Mar

24 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
Density Map of ALL Violent Crime in Grand Rapids in 2009 

25 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
Density Map of ALL Property Crime in Grand Rapids in 2009 

26 
Crime in Grand Rapids 2009 
Density Map of Murder, Robbery, and Assault with a Firearm in Grand Rapids in 2009 

27