INDEX CRIMES (CRIMINAL HOMICIDE, FORCIBLE RAPE, ROBBERY, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, BURGLARY, LARCENY, AND MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT) TOTALED 56,039 IN 1976, COMPARED WITH 52,099 IN 1975. VIOLENT CRIMES (MURDER, FORCIBLE RAPE, ROBBERY, AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT) CONSTITUTED 3.6 PERCENT OF ALL REPORTED INDEX OFFENSES; PROPERTY CRIMES, 96.4 PERCENT. THESE PERCENTAGES WERE THE SAME AS FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR. CLEARANCES BY ARREST OR OTHER MEANS RANGED FROM 19.6 PERCENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT TO 74.5 PERCENT FOR MURDER AND NONNEGLIGENT MANSLAUGHTER. CLEARANCES TOTALED 25.2 PERCENT FOR ALL INDEX CRIMES, COMPARED WITH 21.6 PERCENT IN 1975. THE TOTAL VALUE OF PROPERTY STOLEN WAS $19,975 MILLION, OF WHICH 27.4 PERCENT WAS RECOVERED. THE 10,712 ARRESTS FOR INDEX CRIMES CONSTITUTED 34.2 PERCENT OF ALL ARRESTS. OF THE 31,309 TOTAL ARRESTS FOR NONTRAFFIC OFFENSES, 33.9 PERCENT WERE JUVENILE. NARCOTIC DRUG ARRESTS TOTALED 2,028, OF WHICH 18.2 PERCENT WERE JUVENILE. GAMBLING ARRESTS TOTALED 1,361, OF WHICH 7.9 PERCENT WERE JUVENILE. EXTENSIVE TABLES PRESENT BREAKDOWNS BY TYPE OF OFFENSE, GEOGRAPHIC AREA, MONTH, AND TYPE OF PROPERTY STOLEN, AND BY AGE, SEX, AND RACIAL BACKGROUND OF PEOPLE ARRESTED. A DESCRIPTION OF THE DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM AND DEFINITIONS OF PART ONE AND PART TWO OFFENSES ARE ALSO PROVIDED. (CFW)