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Figure 3.111109812OneCRIME INDEX OFFENSEevery 2.7 seconds7612345OneVIOLENT CRIMEevery 22.1 secondsOnePROPERTY CRIMEevery 3.1 secondsOneMURDERevery 33.9 minutesOneFORCIBLE RAPEevery 5.8 minutesOneROBBERYevery 1.3 minutesOneAGGRAVATED ASSAULTevery 34.6 secondsOneBURGLARYevery 15.4 secondsOneLARCENY / THEFTevery 4.5 secondsOneMOTOR VEHICLE THEFTevery 27.1 secondsAlthough state laws closely resemble each other, the exact definitionsand penalties for crimes may differ from state to state. For instance, acrime that is called assault in one state may be called battery in another.Federal Criminal LawUnlike state governments, the federal government has no policepower. When the Constitution was written in 1787, its authors imposedlimits on the powers granted to the national government. One limitationwas the act of withholding the general police power enjoyed bythe states. Consequently, the federal government is able to create criminalstatutes only in areas over which it has jurisdiction. For example,the federal government has created laws against counterfeitingbecause it has the power to coin money.Today, however, the federal government does have a criminal codeand several national police agencies, including the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The federalgovernment’s power to establish these agencies comes primarilyfrom the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, which requiresA CRIME INDEXAs this crime index indicates,the rate at whichcrimes are committed in thiscountry is quite consistent.Why does the crime rateremain so steady despitethe efforts of our lawenforcement officials andthe criminal court system?Chapter 3: Criminal Law 57