Law Enforcement Reporting System to Provide Better Data

Law Enforcement Reporting System to Provide Better Data

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A new reporting system will become the US national crime data collection program next year. The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) will provide more robust and complete data for law enforcement, researchers, and the public.

According to hstoday.us, the system will have better data. That makes police more effective. NIBRS has more thorough data and will help law enforcement target their resources to fight crime effectively. For example, the current system only counts the most serious crime at one particular incident. So, if there is a robbery and a murder at the same time and place, SRS current system would only count the murder. NIBRS will count both the robbery and the murder and provide much more context, such as the day and time of the crime and the relationship of the victim to the offender.

In fact, most of the country has already transitioned to NIBRS. Many more agencies plan to by the beginning of next year. 

Crime statistics experts will use statistical modeling to fill in gaps. 

Researchers and the public will still have access to long-term trends. Even with the transition to NIBRS, the public will still be able to see long-term crime trends. That’s because the FBI will convert the NIBRS data back into the SRS format, specifically for long-term trend analysis. This will offer researchers and the public an “apples to apples” comparison.