1.1 National Perspective on Reporting Crime: Transitioning from Uniform Crime Reporting to National Incident-Based Reporting System
According to the National Incident-Based Reporting System, Volume 1: Data Collection Guidelines, by the U.S. Depart- ment of Justice,
“Since the establishment of the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program in 1930, the volume, diversity, and complexity of crime steadily increased while the UCR Program remained virtually unchanged. Recognizing the need to address crime’s growing challenge, the law enforcement community in the late 1970s called for a thor- ough study of the UCR Program with the objective of revising the Program to meet law enforcement’s needs into the twenty-first century. The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is the result of that study.” In January 1989, the FBI began accepting NIBRS data from a handful of agencies. As more contributing law enforce- ment agencies learn about the rich data available through incident-based reporting (and as resources permit), more agencies are implementing the NIBRS. In 2016, the FBI Director agreed to transition the UCR Program to NIBRS-only data collection in 2021. Modernizing crime data reporting is no longer optional. Fort Worth understands the importance of collecting and reporting detailed, accurate, and meaningful incident-based data. In January 2006, Fort Worth was certified to participate in the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and began reporting NIBRS data to the Texas Department of Public Safety. With the use of NIBRS, the Fort Worth Po- lice Department has the capability to generate reports reflecting a multitude of interrelationships among the collected data — enhancing its ability to analyze crime trends and to implement tactical strategies. NIBRS data is of great value to the City of Fort Worth! In 2017, approximately 43 percent of law enforcement reporting agencies throughout the country submitted data via NIBRS, and an increasing number of agencies are transitioning to NIBRS. In the meantime, the FBI continues to report UCR data (by extracting UCR data from NIBRS data). FBI data is used to identify national and regional crime trends. Data is often used for rankings — although the FBI does not recommend this practice — and is often considered the best available information to compare crime from one jurisdiction to another. Since UCR data is available for all report- ing agencies nationwide, it is also used for the purpose of making comparisons. One of Fort Worth’s five Strategic Goals is to become the safest major city in the United States. The FBI data, along with other third-party rankings, are used to determine if progress is being made towards this goal. The Fort Worth Po- lice Department reports NIBRS data so that elected officials, city leaders and the public can review the detailed crime information. Please refer to Section IV of this report and FBI data to understand (in a very general sense) how Fort Worth compares to peer cities. 1.2 Fort Worth’s Crime Report
To learn more about the differences between Uniform Crime Reporting and National Incident-Based Reporting System data, please visit at https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr/nibrs .
Section I - Understanding Crime Report
4 Fourth Quarter (October - December) 2019 Crime Report
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