In addition, what kind of message is it sending to the victims of these so-called, ‘lesser’ crimes that they are not important enough to be recorded? How are these people supposed to feel? Will they even bother to call the police the next time a crime is committed against them? Statistics say no. The dark figure of crime exists because of situations like this where the victims of crime are left feeling completely and utterly abandoned by a system that apparently only favors a wow-factor.
Emotional semantics aside, the UCR’s conscious decision to omit lesser crimes committed per individual dramatically alters the real life picture of crime in America. Much of the crime that is committed is done so in sprees, burglary, auto theft, drug possession, manslaughter, etc. none of these things are mutually exclusive and all of them are deserving of a place in the official and ‘uniform’ crime report, regardless of the offender or the time frame within which the offense(s) occurred.