Workshop: Analyzing Data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System: An Overview of the Data and Resources 2025

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Abstract/Description

Beginning in January 2021, the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) became the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States. The transition to NIBRS represented a significant improvement in how reported crime is measured and estimated by the federal government. Because NIBRS captures more detail on the characteristics of criminal incidents, the data are structured differently and maybe challenging to use. This in-person workshop, led by BJS statisticians, will introduce data users to the structure of the NIBRS data, walk through the types of detailed crime information available in NIBRS, and the various research questions the data can address. Participants will also take part in hands-on training to assist in properly analyzing the data.

Using code adaptable to several commonly used statistical software programs (i.e., SPSS, Stata, R), participants
will learn how to:
• replicate key estimates from the annual Crime Known to Law Enforcement bulletin,
• analyze data available through the Law Enforcement Agency Reported Crime Analysis Tool (LEARCAT), and
• replicate analyses from the special report on Sexual Assaults Recorded by Law Enforcement.

The workshop will also provide an overview of NIBRS resources available to the public, including data downloads
from the NIBRS Estimation Program and the NIBRS Extract Files, codebooks, and data definitions.

Sub Unit

• Area XVII. Workshops / Other Workshops

Instructors

• Lizabeth Remrey, Bureau of Justice Statistics

• Kimberly Martin, Bureau of Justice Statistics

• Erica L Smith, Bureau of Justice Statistics

Organized by a Division or external group?

National Incident-Based Reporting System