Despite knowing that crime does go unreported, it is still important to estimate and attempt to measure crime in the country. However, it is essential to be aware of the data sources’ strengths and weaknesses when reading crime statistics. Also, be cautious of how changing data collection techniques may alter statistics.

Reading Data Right – Crime Reporting statistics

In the past, crime reporting relied on paper-based systems, where citizens were required to report crimes in person or through a phone call to the police station. These reports were then manually recorded in a database, which was time-consuming and could result in errors or missing data.

With the advent of digital technology, many police departments transitioned to online crime reporting systems, where citizens can report crimes through a website. This has made it easier and more convenient for citizens to report crimes, resulting in a significant increase in the number of reported crimes.

As a result of this change in data collection technique, crime statistics may appear to show a sudden increase in crime rates in the area, even if the actual rate of criminal activity has remained relatively constant. In some cases, the increase in reported crimes may also be attributed to an increase in public awareness and willingness to report crimes, rather than an actual increase in criminal activity.

Thus, it is important to consider the impact of changes in data collection techniques on statistical analysis and interpretation, and to adjust the analysis accordingly to account for these changes. Failure to do so may lead to misleading conclusions and inaccurate policy decisions.

Official statistics are gathered from various criminal justice agencies, such as the police and courts. Therefore these statistics represent the total number of crimes officially reported to the police or the number of arrests made by that police agency. If an officer uses discretion and does not arrest a person, even if a crime was committed, the crime does not get reported.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program is the largest and most well-recognized data collection program on crime currently available. The UCR lists the number of crimes that were reported to the police and the number of arrests made.

The UCR Program’s primary objective is to generate reliable information for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management. Various groups and agencies rely upon the UCR crime data, including criminal justice students, researchers, the media, and members of the public (Crime/Law Enforcement Stats (UCR Program), 2023). The UCR began in 1929 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to meet the need for reliable, uniform crime statistics for the nation. In 1930, the FBI was tasked with collecting, publishing, and archiving those statistics. Every year reports were produced from data received from more than 18,000 reporting agencies, including cities, counties, universities, and colleges. Also included are state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the program to share their crime data (Crime/Law Enforcement Stats (UCR Program), 2023).

The UCR Program contains data from four collections: the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the Summary Reporting System (SRS), the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, and the Hate Crime Statistics Program. The UCR also publishes special reports on cargo theft, human trafficking, and NIBRS topical studies. In 2020, UCR data began being published in the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer (CDE), an interactive online tool containing data from the four collections as well as additional data, including the National Use-of-Force Data Collection.

Check out the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program— FBI and Crime Data Explorer to learn more.

3.4.1 National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS

The National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, was created to improve the overall quality of crime data collected by law enforcement. NIBRS is unique when compared to other crime databases. It collects data on crimes reported to the police, but also incidents where multiple crimes are committed. For example when a robbery escalates into a rape (Rantala, 2000). NIBRS also collects information on victims, known offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, arrestees, and property involved in the crimes.

3.4.2 Summary Reporting System

The Summary Reporting System or SRS, collects aggregate counts of the number of occurrences of offenses as well as arrest data for those offenses (UCR Technical Specifications, User Manuals, and Data Tools, 2022). Combined with the data of the NIBRS, the two collections help portray a fuller picture of data of crime offenses and arrests.

3.4.3 Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program

Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Program (LEOKA) provides data and training that helps keep law enforcement officers safe by providing relevant, high-quality, potentially lifesaving information to law enforcement agencies. These agencies may often be focusing more on why an incident occurred, as opposed to what occurred during the incident. The purpose of LEOKA is to prevent future incidents of officer killings and assaults through officer safety awareness training (LEOKA, 2022). In 2019, the FBI published figure 3.2. based on the data submitted to LEOKA related to officers killed through felonious and accidental incidents.

Figure 3.2. Officers Feloniously and Accidentally Killed by Region 2019.

3.4.3.1 Exclusions from the LEOKA Program’s Data Collection

Deaths resulting from the following are not included in the LEOKA program’s statistics:

• Natural causes such as heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, etc.
• On duty, but death is attributed to their own personal situation such as domestic violence, neighbor conflict, etc.
• Suicide

Examples of job positions not typically included in the LEOKA program’s statistics (unless they meet the above exception) follow:

• Corrections/correctional officers
• Bailiffs
• Parole/probation officers
• Federal judges
• The U.S. and assistant U.S. attorneys
• Bureau of Prison officers
• Private security officers

Although official statistics are a great starting point, recognize that they are imperfect in nature. Police agencies can focus on different types of crime, which can change the overall number of arrests. For example, if police begin cracking down on domestic violence, the statistics may go up. This crackdown can make it appear that the problem has increased, but it could be related to the crackdown. Just remember, if the crime is not reported, or no arrest is made, it will not get captured in the data.

3.4.4 Hate Crime Statistics

Congress passed the Hate Crime Statistics Act in 1990. This required the attorney general to collect data “about crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.” Hate crime statistics may assist law enforcement agencies, provide lawmakers with justification for certain legislation, or provide the media with credible information. It can also be used to simply show hate crime victims that they are not alone (About Hate Crime Statistics, 2019).

3.4.4.1 CR Program’s Hate Crime Data Collection

Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry:

• Anti-American Indian or Alaska Native
• Anti-Arab
• Anti-Asian
• Anti-Black or African American
• Anti-Hispanic or Latino
• Anti-Multiple Races, Group
• Anti-Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
• Anti-Other Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry
• Anti-White

Religion:

• Anti-Buddhist
• Anti-Catholic
• Anti-Eastern Orthodox (Russian, Greek, Other)
• Anti-Hindu
• Anti-Islamic
• Anti-Jehovah’s Witness
• Anti-Jewish
• Anti-Mormon
• Anti-Multiple Religions, Group
• Anti-Other Christian
• Anti-Other Religion
• Anti-Protestant
• Anti-Sikh
• Anti-Atheism/Agnosticism, etc.

Sexual Orientation:

• Anti-Bisexual
• Anti-Gay (Male)
• Anti-Heterosexual
• Anti-Lesbian
• Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (Mixed Group)

Disability:

• Anti-Mental Disability
• Anti-Physical Disability

Gender:

• Anti-Male
• Anti-Female

Gender Identity:

• Anti-Transgender
• Anti-Gender Non-Conforming

3.4.4.2 Types of Hate Crimes by Category

The types of hate crimes reported to the FBI are broken down by specific categories. The aggregate hate crime data collected for each incident include the following:

• Bias Motivation: Incidents may include one or more offense types.
• Victims: The types of victims collected for hate crime incidents include individuals (adults and juveniles), businesses, institutions, and society.
• Offenders: The number of offenders (adults and juveniles), and when possible, the race and ethnicity of the offender(s).
• Location type: One of 46 location types can be designated, such as house of worship, sidewalk, home, school, etc.
• Jurisdiction: Includes data about hate crimes by judicial district, state, and agency.

3.4.5 National Use-of-Force Data Collection

The National Use-of-Force Data Collection was created by the FBI in 2015 and began collecting data in 2019 to provide statistics on law enforcement use of force incidents. The data collected includes information about the circumstances of the use-of-force incident, the subject(s) and the officer(s) involved, offering big-picture insights on the incidents (Use-of-Force, 2022).

One downside to the FBI’s data collection program is that it is only as good as the data it receives. Because much of the data collected is voluntarily provided by law enforcement agencies, there are many missing pieces. There is a lack of proper collaboration between the local community and university key leaders to prioritize data collection. The FBI have not been sufficiently proactive in facilitating this community key leader collaborations on data.

3.4.5.2 50-State Crime Data

Many Americans believe that crime in their area is constantly increasing but is that really the case? The Council of States Justice Center has developed an interactive tool to help individuals track change in violent crime in their state. Explore the Crime Data Tool to learn more about how Crime rates in your state.

Figure 3.3. Tools for States to Address Crime in your state – The Council of State Governments Justice Center