In 1998 Alaska experienced a decrease in the total number of both violent and property crimes. This was coupled with a 1.8-percent decrease in the population base represented by reporting agencies. There was no significant change in the distribution of crime by category between 1998 and 1997. In 1998, 13.4 percent of the total crimes were violent crimes, and 86.6 percent were property crimes; in 1997, 13.1 percent of the crimes were against persons, and 86.9 percent were property crimes. For each of the index offenses -- murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft -- the following information and data are provided: definition; summary; index and rate variance for 1994-98; variance for 1994-98; summary by calendar month; and arrest distribution by age, sex, and race. Other data for an offense pertain to the nature of the offense, such as summary by weapon type for murder and aggravated assault and forcible rape versus attempted rape for the offense of rape. For each reporting agency, the following data are provided: offenses known to law enforcement; property stolen by classification; property stolen by type; age, sex, and race of persons arrested 18 years of age and over; age, sex, and race of persons arrested under 18 years of age; law enforcement officers killed or assaulted; and arson offenses known to law enforcement. Extensive tabular and graphic data