Crime indexes are generated to analyze crimestatistics. The most common source of such statistics are records reported to the police. Critics do not feel that crime indexes are particularly useful as they only list reported crimes. This makes it difficult to know whether a "10% increase" has any real meaning. An alternative source of data is the victimization survey, usually conducted via annual interviews with households, whose occupants are asked whether they have been the victim of crime. Critics note that surveys are generally unreliable, especially when they involve discussions of criminal activity.
Crimes are classified without regard to the findings of courts or juries, since the statistics are gathered primarily to assist in identifying areas of concern to law enforcement officers, and not meant to reflect the outcomes of inquests, hearings or trials.
The crimes were selected for use as an index on the basis of their serious nature, their frequency of occurrence, and the reliability of reporting from citizens to law enforcement agencies.
The index, or crimeindex, consists of the counts used as indicators of the crime picture in a given jurisdiction (state, county, city).
Crimes committed eight blocks away from a site are of little use in relation to many premises, especially if major physical or psychological barriers exist, such as a freeway or railroad track between the two areas.
Elements involved in evaluating previous crime are a determination of which crime classifications are relevant, the relevant radius around the incident, the proper time frame, the type and precision of data available, and an estimate of the proportion of crimes that are officially documented.
If a particular crime on a premises is believed to be not foreseeable by the court, to the extent that it finds that no reasonable jury could find otherwise, then the issue becomes a matter of law, not fact, and can be dismissed by the court in response to a motion for summary judgment.
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