THE NEW JERSEY UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SYSTEM INVOLVES THE UNIFORM COMPILATION, CLASSIFICATION, AND ANALYSIS OF CRIME STATISTICS REPORTED BY POLICE AGENCIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE. MUNICIPAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES REPORT THE NUMBER OF KNOWN OFFENSES ACCORDING TO SEVEN CATEGORIES: HOMICIDE (MURDER AND MANSLAUGHTER), FORCIBLE RAPE, ROBBERY, ASSAULT, BREAKING AND ENTERING, LARCENY-THEFT, AND MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT. STATEWIDE, 381,450 INDEX OFFENSES WERE REPORTED DURING 1978, A 2-PERCENT INCREASE OVER 1977. VIOLENT CRIMES INCREASED 8 PERCENT, WHILE NONVIOLENT CRIME INCREASED 2 PERCENT. ROBBERY WAS THE MOTIVE IN 18 PERCENT OF MURDERS. LARCENY AND BREAKING-ENTERING ACCOUNTED FOR 81 PERCENT OF SERIOUS CRIME. NEARLY HALF OF SOLVED INDEX OFFENSES INVOLVED PERSONS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES SOLVED 17.3 PERCENT OF ALL INDEX OFFENSES DURING THE YEAR. OVER THE 5-YEAR PERIOD FROM 1974 TO 1978, RURAL CRIME INCREASED 34 PERCENT, SUBURBAN CRIME 16 PERCENT, AND URBAN CRIME 2 PERCENT. THE 335,074 PERSONS ARRESTED IN 1978 REPRESENTED A 3-PERCENT INCREASE OVER 1977. ADULTS WERE INVOLVED IN 75 PERCENT OF VIOLENT CRIME ARRESTS, WHILE JUVENILES ACCOUNTED FOR 54 PERCENT OF NONVIOLENT CRIME ARRESTS. UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE; 6 OF EVERY 10 PERSONS ARRESTED FOR BREAKING AND ENTERING, MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT, AND ARSON WERE ALSO IN THIS AGE GROUP. PERSONS UNDER 30 YEARS OF AGE REPRESENTED 92 PERCENT OF ALL DRUG ABUSE VIOLATIONS. ALMOST 24 PERCENT OF MUNICIPAL POLICE OFFICERS WERE ASSAULTED DURING 1978. CRIME FACTORS AND A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO CRIME PREVENTION ARE NOTED. SUMMARY ANALYSES OF VIOLENT AND NONVIOLENT CRIME ARE PROVIDED, ALONG WITH SUPPLEMENTARY ARREST AND OFFENSE DATA, COUNTY CRIME DATA, CRIME STATISTICS BY GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION (URBAN, SUBURBAN, AND RURAL), UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE OFFENSE DATA, AND POLICE EMPLOYEE DATA. A GLOSSARY OF TERMS IS INCLUDED. (DEP)