The statistics cover crime index offenses reported, crime index offenses cleared, persons arrested, drug arrests, and numbers and types of law enforcement personnel. A total of 13,473,614 crime index offenses were reported during the year, a decline of 2.8 percent from 1995. These crimes included murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The total was the lowest annual serious crime count since 1986 and the fifth consecutive annual decline. Five-year and 10-year percentage changes revealed that the 1996 national total was 7 percent lower than the 1992 level and virtually the same as the 1987 total. Crime Index offenses occurred most often in July and August and least often in February. The national 1996 crime index rate declined 4 percent from the 1995 rate, 10 percent from the 1992 level, and 8 percent from the 1987 level. Twelve percent of the index offenses reported to law enforcement were violent crimes and 88 percent were property crimes. Law enforcement agencies nationwide recorded a 22-percent clearance rate for the crime index offenses and made an estimated 2.8 million arrests for index crimes. Figures, tables, and appended methodological information and addresses and telephone numbers of State Uniform Crime Reporting programs