The FBI’s 2021 national crime data release will be the most comprehensive its ever been.
The National Incident-Based Reporting System was established roughly four decades ago but had largely been the background for its Summary Reporting System, which included fewer details about crime reports. Now, as the bureau has officially transitioned to the NIBRS system, data will include the types of weapons used in violent crimes, the value of losses in property offenses, and the demographics of the offenders and victims.
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All 50 states have been certified, with 62 of the 85 cities with populations above 250,000 participating as well, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. As for the areas that do not report to this voluntary program, the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the FBI developed an estimation technique that they’ve been perfecting since the 1930s.
In addition to including more details about the crimes reported, the system collects data on 52 different offenses, whereas the previous system only provided for reporting on eight. It will also allow for the context surrounding certain crimes to be reported.
The FBI and BJS have invested over $120 million in state and local law enforcement agencies across the country in order to help with the new data collection, plus an additional $21 million from BJS solely for training and assistance.
States such as Nevada and North Carolina previously did not report NIBRS data to the FBI, but both recently earned a 100% reporting coverage rate since the bureau announced in 2015 that it would be transitioning to this new system.
“NIBRS will improve community response to crime,” the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation explained on its website. “Knowing more about crimes, their victims and perpetrators will help other emergency response, victim advocates and resource organizations better prevent, plan for, and respond to, emergency situations.”
North Carolina plans to continue to convert its NIBRS data into the original Summary Reporting System in order to maintain a “long-term trend analysis.” It has reported NIBRS since 2018, according to the NCBI’s statement to the Washington Examiner.
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“This will offer researchers and the public an ‘apples to apples’ comparison,” its website said.
Nevada’s Department of Public Safety cited a revised statute, 179A.075, which outlines its own in-depth reporting requirements, as another reason it chose to report its data to the FBI in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
