For most of the last four decades, Utah’s crime rate has largely mirrored the national crime rate. Beginning in 1995, Utah’s index crime rate has been significantly higher than the national average, which is also a trend among the Western states. Index crimes include murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Over the last ten years (1993-2002), the number of index crimes committed in Utah has grown 8.8%, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Report statistics. When adjusted for population growth, the crime rate has actually fallen 15.0%. The reduction in the crime rate, however, falls short of the national decline, which was 24.9% over the same period. Utah currently has the 18th highest crime rate in the country.