FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 2005-2008

The estimated number of violent crimes in the nation declined for the second year in a row, according to the FBI's Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. Property crimes also declined in 2008, marking the sixth straight year the collective estimates for these offenses dropped below the previous year's total. The FBI annually releases statistics on violent crimes like murder, rape and robbery and on property crimes such as burglary and vehicle theft. Not all agencies participate in the voluntary UCR program and therefore are not reflected in the data.