FBI’s NIBRS and Animal Cruelty

• In Event: Policing Research Using Large Datasets

Abstract

The FBI updated its UCR NIBRS Program policies, effective January 1, 2016, to specifically include Animal Cruelty as a criminal offense category that Reporting Agencies should include when tendering crime statistics to the FBI. Animal cruelty is a serious crime against not only the animals, but also our society as a whole. By knowing where these crimes are occurring and the demographics of who is committing these crimes, law enforcement agencies and animal control/humane organizations can take proactive steps to address problems in areas with high rates of animal abuse. Reporting to the FBI is not mandatory but the more information that is provided to the FBI, the better it will be able to gauge the amount of crime in a specific area and allow for a more comprehensive review of the relationship between animal cruelty and other crimes in the community. The National Council on Violence Against Animals’ NIBRS Implementation Committee created a document to use to support the tracking of animal cruelty data in the NIBRS database. The NIBRS Animal Cruelty Incident Report consists of eight different sections: administrative, offense, property, offender/arrestee, victim, complainant, witness and narrative.

Authors

• Nuria Querol, Crime Behaviour Analysis Unit, Law School, Univ. Barcelona

• Dan DeSousa, NACA

• John Thompson, National Sheriffs' Association

• Cuquerella Angel, Institute of Legal Medicine of Catalonia