THE REPORT OPENS WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE KENTUCKY UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SYSTEM. PROFILES OF THE COMMONWEALTH (POPULATION, INCOME, UNEMPLOYMENT, ETC.) AND ITS DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ARE PROVIDED. TABLES AND GRAPHS PRESENT STATISTICS ON NUMBERS OF OFFENSES, CRIME RATES, ARRESTS, AND CLEARANCES. THE DATA ARE BROKEN DOWN BY TYPE OF OFFENSE (PROPERTY OR PERSONAL); BY SPECIFIC OFFENSE (MURDER, RAPE,ROBBERY, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, BREAKING AND ENTERING, LARCENY, AUTO THEFT); AND BY LEVEL OF AGGREGATION (STATE, COUNTY, CITY, DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT). COMPARISONS ARE DRAWN WITH DATA FROM PREVIOUS YEARS, AND CRIME TRENDS ARE NOTED. STATISTICS ON THE TYPES OF WEAPONS EMPLOYED IN THE COMMISSION OF OFFENSES ARE INCLUDED. SEPARATE SECTIONS ON EACH SPECIFIC OFFENSE DEFINE THE OFFENSE AND PRESENT DATA ON CLEARANCES, OFFENSE RATE, NUMBER OF OFFENSES, AND DISTRIBUTION OF OFFENSES BY LOCATION, TIME OF OCCURRENCE, AND ARRESTEE CHARACTERISTICS (SEX, RACE, AND AGE). OTHER SECTIONS OFFER SUMMARY DATA, DATA ON ARRESTS AND CLEARANCES, AND DATA ON POLICE EMPLOYEES. THE REPORT SHOWS THAT KENTUCKY'S CRIME RATE DECREASED IN 1977 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS. THE DECREASE WAS MOST EVIDENT FOR THE OFFENSES OF ROBBERY (16.8-PERCENT DECREASE), LARCENY (9.4 PERCENT), MURDER, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, AND BREAKING AND ENTERING. THERE WAS A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF AUTO THEFTS, BUT THE PER CAPITA RATE FOR THAT OFFENSE DECREASED. FORCIBLE RAPE INCREASED BY 8.3 PERCENT. THERE WERE INCREASES IN ARRESTS FOR ROBBERY, AUTO THEFT, AND VIOLATIONS OF NARCOTIC DRUG LAWS, AND DECREASES IN ARRESTS FOR MURDER, RAPE, BREAKING AND ENTERING, LARCENY AND ALCOHOL-RELATED OFFENSES. JUVENILE ARRESTS INCREASED BY 3.2 PERCENT, ADULT ARRESTS DECREASED BY 5.2 PERCENT, AND TOTAL ARRESTS DECREASED BY 4.4 PERCENT. NARRATIVE SUMMARIES ACCOMPANY THE TABLES AND GRAPHS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)