This is more of a question than a post. For some reason or other, I found myself staring at the FBI crime stats for 2009 -- specifically, the number of arrests made annually. Some things were not terribly surprising: http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_29.html 1. The number of arrests for 'violent and property' crimes [the sort we usually thing of and that get heavy attention in the media] is only about 1/3 of the total. 2. Lots of arrests are drug and alcohol related (about another 1/3 of the total). I *was* rather surprised to learn that in official stats 'violent and property crime' does *not* include the category of 'other assaults' [meaning, only 'aggravated assault' is considered violent -- fuck that! I don't want to be assaulted in any way!]. (Many non-aggravated assaults are perhaps domestic?). I added them back when I gave that '1/3' figure above. So... what's left? Nearly 1/3 of all crimes are listed as *other*. WTF are people doing to each other, that doesn't involve property, violence, drugs, alcohol, or traffic offences. Are 1/3 of all arrests political or something? The numbers just don't add up -- they don't add up so badly, it's setting off my 'Statistician' alarm bells, actually. My first thought was -- aha, prostitution -- but those are in the stats already. I looked up the California stats, and they corroborated the FBI's picture. I drilled down to age and race, and it's not Blacks being arrested either (though of course they are arrested in the 'other' category, disproportionate to their numbers -- no surprises). The only anomaly is -- whatever the fuck it is -- Hispanics *older than 29* are being arrested for it at the same rate at Whites. More, WTF? Is that just the 'Hispanics are halfway between Blacks and Whites' effects, or something else? Anyway, here's my suspicion: I think the FBI's 'other' category includes arrests related to Immigration. Hiding in plain sight? 1/3 of all crimes -- 250,000 a year in California alone -- have a story to tell. That's all I can say. I guess the FBI is all hush-hush about this.
The crime stats have been rigged for years. The local agencies play all kinds of games with reporting. There have been several cases in the news the past week or so, I am too lazy to Google them right now. The beat cops are told to right up major crimes as misdemeanors when they do their reports. Then the upper management reports to the Feebs that major crime in the city has dropped. Just pondering, your "other" could be various offenses against the state. Various code violations that the cops arrest for, contempt of court, failure to pay child support, bullshit stuff like that.
That's a good guess to -- it's also a stat you don't here, eh? 1/3 of all crimes are bullshit crimes against Authority. Stop the presses. I suppose if you're a wetback and get deported, you consider it a 'bullshit crime against the state'. Likely a rather broad and all-inclusive category.
Actually, I would guess more than 1/3 of crimes are bullshit charges of contempt of cop or some DA trying to make a name for himself.