The Uniform Crime Report (UCR)

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) from the FBI is the most widely cited crime report. It is used for comparison with victim surveys and self-reports. It came about in 1930 when the Department of Justice compiled and published national crime statistics. It was the major source for United States crime sets until 1974. Most information in the media is usually based on the UCR, although it is not properly reported. The UCR involves voluntary participation from local police departments who report the crimes known to and recorded by them. However, not all crimes committed are discovered; not all crimes discovered are reported; and not all reported are recorded. The majority of states employ UCR programs in which local departments are required
to report. During the 1980s, 98% of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), 94% "other" cities, and 90% of rural areas reported to the UCR. The Census Bureau determined that 97% of the population had been covered by this report.
The Uniform Crime Report contains Part I and Part II crimes.
Part I are index crimes, or major felonies reported to the police that have been selected for special analysis because of their seriousness, frequency, and likelihood of being reported. Index crimes include: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, burglary, forcible rape, larceny/theft, robbery, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault, and arson. Part II are non-index crimes such as simple assault, vandalism, gambling, and drunkenness. The crime rate is represented as the number of crimes per unit of population. This enables control of the population size and allows for fair comparison. However, the crime index is un-weighted, meaning that each offense is summed and given the same weight as all other offenses. The crime rate is the total number of seven of the original index crimes per 100,000
population. Number of index crimes
Crime rate = Population x 100,000
Some caution should be taken in reference to UCR data usage. The following are some of the UCR's weaker points: These statistics are only a portion of the community's true crime rate (Census Bureau victim surveys find that there may actually be twice the amount of crime as found in the UCR). In the mid 1960s and 1970s, the crime rate increase had a lot to do with improved communications, better police departments, and more reliable ways of recording and reporting crime. More crimes were reported as citizen awareness and public morality changed. Most federal cases, "victimless" crimes, and white-collar crimes were not included in the UCR (more "crime in the streets", not "crime in the suites"). If multiple offenses were committed, only the most serious were counted in the report. Offenses were un-weighted (murder given the same value as robbery, etc). The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) reflects a rather significant change from the old UCR system.
Using this new system, local law enforcement agencies create a unit-record report based on every crime incident and every arrest. The old UCR system was only a summary of reported crime, counting only the most serious offense if multiple crimes were committed. To describe victims, arrests, crimes, etc., NIBRS uses 52 "data elements" to do so. It also puts focus on 22 Group A offenses (bribery, counterfeiting,/forgery, drug offenses, extortion/blackmail, fraud, kidnapping, etc.), whereas the original UCR only used 8 index crimes. However, if a department lacks in the equipment, time, and ability to process data, their participation may be limited to only the original 8 index crimes that were first
used. Some of the main differences between these two systems include the following: NIBRS is incident based with detailed information for each incident and arrest, whereas the UCR only reported a summary of Part I and Part II offenses. NIBRS gets more information from more types of crime (22 categories and 46 offenses in the Group A list). The summaries provided by the UCR are only based on eight index crimes. The definitions of many crimes have been revised since the inception of the UCR. These newer definitions are used by NIBRS . NIBRS reporting is not based on the "hierarchy rule" (if multiple crimes took place within the same event, only the most serious was reported). Instead, all crimes that occur within the same incident are reported in the new system. The more detailed information collected through NIBRS will lead to a more detailed understanding of crime. NIBRS has also added "crimes against society" to the UCR's "crimes against a person" and "crimes against property". This new category resulted from all the additional offense categories covered by NIBRS. NIBRS has crimes listed as attempted or completed. The UCR sometimes reported attempted crimes as completed. The details ca[tured within the NIBRS system will allow for better statistical data, As with all things, the UCR served its purpose. It has helped lead to a newer, better, more adapted way of gathering information on crimes to better help the public and those who work so hard to protect us.