Violent crimes include all crimes involving criminal homicide, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Simple assault is not defined as a violent crime.  The arrest of adults (Age 18+ years) for violent crimes had fallen in Pierce County since 2000 from 2.53 arrests per 1,000 adults to 1.80 per 1,000 in 2006.  Since then, the rate of arrests for violent crimes involving adults has risen almost back to the same levels as in the decade.   In 1999, the arrest rate of adults for violent crime in Pierce County was almost 40% higher than both counties like ours and  more than 50% higher than the state as a whole.  In 2009, Pierce County’s arrest rate of adults for violent crime was approximately 22% higher than the arrest rates in counties like ours, and nearly 34% higher than the arrest rates for the state as a whole.