vandalism | Definition

Vandalism is a UCR crime category that involves willful destruction or damage of another person’s property, including graffiti and property damage.

In the UCR (Uniform Crime Reports) context, vandalism refers to a crime category that includes offenses related to the willful destruction or damage of property belonging to another person. Vandalism offenses may include graffiti, defacing public or private property, breaking windows, or damaging vehicles or other personal property. The UCR collects data on vandalism offenses as part of the Property Crime category, which also includes offenses such as theft, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. The UCR is a nationwide crime reporting system that is managed by the FBI, and its data is used to track crime trends and inform law enforcement policy and resource allocation.