Although the Uniform Crime Reports consistently reports stranger homicides as less than 20%, television and the print media frequently report that stranger homicides account for 50% or more of all homicides. This article examines how such claims are generated, including the role of the Uniform Crime Reports itself. Based on adjustment procedures and careful coding of police records, the best estimate is that stranger homicides are between 18% and 25% of all homicides. Use of the wide variety of available missing-data estimation techniques is encouraged in future research.
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