The importance of NIBRS to the modernization of crime statistics

• In Event: The New National Standard for Reported Crime Data: Estimating Crime Based on NIBRS

Abstract

The large-scale push to transition law enforcement agency crime reporting to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) began in 2015. At that time, it was projected that 65%-75% of agencies would be reporting to NIBRS by January 1, 2021, when NIBRS would become the official federal source of reported crime data.

To address the absence of data from the other 25%-35% of non-NIBRS agencies, and to showcase the value of NIBRS to stakeholders, BJS and the FBI partnered to 1) establish an estimation system that evaluates data quality, accounts for nonreporting agencies, and automates the statistical methods required for national estimation, 2) develop products to examine key characteristics of crime, such as victim and arrestee demographics, weapon involvement, and location, generate population-based rates of crime, and connect NIBRS data to critical operational and community-focused data sources, and 3) examine changes in state and local agency reporting practices over time and trends in crime type and other incident characteristics. This presentation will discuss progress on these items and future efforts to facilitate the use of NIBRS data.

Authors

• Erica L Smith, Bureau of Justice Statistics

• Kimberly Martin, Bureau of Justice Statistics